


take me home again

by taeyeons



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Aurors, Blood and Injury, Case Fic, Eventual Romance, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Slow Burn, it is quite slow burn tbh, mentions of dark magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:33:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24676987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taeyeons/pseuds/taeyeons
Summary: Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are friends, then they are not. They are Auror partners, then they find something more.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Do Kyungsoo | D.O
Comments: 35
Kudos: 97
Collections: Wingarbyun Leviosa (Round 1)





	take me home again

**Author's Note:**

> **prompt #R1-058**
> 
> it has been quite a rollercoaster ride tbh. i haven't written fic in a long while, so returning to my boys felt like coming home. just to clarify, the auror work here has been modified to a simpler version (i cba sorry djjsdsk). i used up my 2 second knowledge of french mixed with trusty google, if it's wrong, uhh don't be afraid to point it out!  
> to op, i apologise if this runs way longer than you had asked for. there's something about baeksoo that i can't help but just pile all the emotional angst upon lmao. i hope you like it regardless! a quick thanks to the mods for the feedback and being utterly patient with me! 
> 
> to all readers of the fest, i hope you enjoy reading my fic and do give your love to the other fics as well! stay safe x

“ _Level 2, Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”_

There is a blur of scarlet robes and everyone is elbowing each other to leave the lift – Baekhyun amongst them. He spins around, slightly dizzy from the crowd so early in the morning and gaze sweeping around to catch onto the only non-scarlet robed person exiting the lift. A clap on his shoulder and he hears a familiar cheery voice.

“Wanna bet two Galleons that he's beaten you there with a cuppa?”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, falling into step next to Jongdae, his best friend. He's wearing navy robes, buttoned all the way to the top in a similar fashion to Baekhyun's except his is scarlet red and holds a few badges on his shoulders from years of experience. They skid to a stop before the Improper Use of Magic office where Jongdae takes his leave.

“You just like to win,” Baekhyun replies, not taking the bait.

Jongdae grins wider, “And where's the harm in that?”

“I'm not going to entertain you,” Baekhyun says firmly. Then, he steps back, glancing over his shoulder only to wave at his best friend. “Don't annoy Seungwan too much!”

An amused snort is all the answer he gets.

Baekhyun makes his way through the Auror office, nodding at a few colleagues. It's still too early, close to nine in the morning on a Tuesday. Usually he'd come in around ten but Robards had requested via floo call yesterday evening for him to come in early for an important meeting.

That got him proper excited. It's been a month without any exciting cases. He'd been chasing around stale leads on hints of dark objects in Knockturn Alley, which only turned out to be diagnosis spells and such on dark artefacts. They'd searched the whole shop, questioned the shopkeeper to no end, to find that there was indeed no ill intent at all behind the dark spells used. That was pretty much the only exciting thing that had happened.

It didn't used to be tracing dark magic in shops or questioning innocent shopkeepers for Baekhyun. He has been an Auror for two years now and whilst he did spend the first few months doing a lot of desk work, he got sent into the field, working on cases. Of course, Robards did entrust him with a partner to follow through on the cases.

Baekhyun reaches the small makeshift office close to the break room and hides a smile.

“Oh, you're here,” his partner – Kyungsoo greets him with barely a glance. He holds out Baekhyun's favourite mug towards him, “Coffee?”

“Sugar?” Baekhyun asks even though he already knows.

“As usual, two cubes,” Kyungsoo answers. Then, he pauses in his task of filing away papers. “Did your preferences change overnight?”

Baekhyun lifts his mug to his lips, still hiding the smile. The mug is of a corgi butt, a gift from Chanyeol. It is a regular Muggle mug but Chanyeol often has a knack for these things – setting charms on Muggle artefacts, transfiguring bits and pieces to amuse himself and friends he'll eventually gift them to.

The corgi's butt waggles at Kyungsoo —which used to invoke a scandalised look from the former but after close to two years of sharing a cubicle with Baekhyun, he's immune now — as Baekhyun sips from it. The coffee is just perfectly sweetened to his liking, a preference that Kyungsoo once teased. The man, himself, drinks his own coffee black, claiming that that's the only orthodox way to drink coffee.

“They didn't. I'm amazed you constantly remember,” Baekhyun says, allowing his lips to fully quirk upwards in a smirk.

Kyungsoo turns to look at him this time and he frowns a little, “It's hardly difficult. I supposed it must be amazing for you to remember anything beyond two syllables.”

“Must you be so rude in the morning.”

“Did you send in the report on Jules'?” Kyungsoo asks, pointedly ignoring Baekhyun's teasing voice. He gestures to the papers on Baekhyun's desk. “I think you left out the page on evidence.”

Now, Baekhyun frowns as he places his mug carefully at the corner of the desk and sifts through the papers. There it is, the page Kyungsoo mentioned. He stares at it for a few odd moments, racking through his mind to remember if he did forget it.

“Byun, this is the _third_ time—”

“Shh! I'm thinking!”

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, lips twisting into a sneer, “Oh I'm sorry. Do you need a minute longer? To remember that you _forgot to file the evidence page again?_ ”

Baekhyun purses his lips, “You know... this isn't my fault.”

“And how so?”

“If you didn't take such a long, dainty time writing out the description of the evidence, I wouldn't have had to stay at the Ministry to finish the report and send it at an unholy time _and_ forget it in the haste.”

Kyungsoo halts in whatever he's doing so slowly, like a predator catching a whiff of its prey and baiting its time to strike. Baekhyun has been partners with him long enough to recognise the warning, and so he takes a step away. For defence. He's not afraid of Kyungsoo.

“You... are trying to... put the blame on me?”

“Um,” is all Baekhyun says.

Kyungsoo takes an exaggerated deep breath before turning his glare on Baekhyun, his hand is wrapped around his wand. Baekhyun winces when he lifts it —awaiting the hex— to point at the forgotten evidence and wrap it into an envelope, addressing it to the Head Auror and sending it off.

“...Thanks?”

Kyungsoo pinches the bridge of his nose, “Byun, that better be the last time.”

Baekhyun smiles cheekily and joins Kyungsoo in filing away the papers. He waves his wand at the papers on his side of the desk, _scourgifying_ the embarrassing dried quill ink stains on the desk. Baekhyun's side has always been somewhat more cluttered than Kyungsoo's, the reason being maybe because Kyungsoo is actually a very organised person while Baekhyun is the complete opposite. Though, Baekhyun can still manage to find whatever he wants on his desk so it is still the same outcome.

And he defends this habit to the very end.

“Robards' office?”

Baekhyun glances at Kyungsoo, waiting for his nod. His partner hums but he's still manually tucking the papers away, fixing the quill into his small holder with other quills. Baekhyun stares, still perplexed at the way Kyungsoo still does things without a wand like he forgets the convenience of magic sometimes.

They set off towards the Head Auror's office together in silence. Baekhyun greets one of the Aurors, Joohyun, who is still blinking sleepily at the pile of case files on her desk. He stifles a laugh at the belated wave she gives him. Kyungsoo remains silent next to him, gaze fixated ahead, not meeting anyone else passing by.

Kyungsoo has always been sort of a recluse ever since he properly joined the Auror force – something that still boggles some of their colleagues' minds to this day. Baekhyun can still remember the first day of training, joking around with Yuta, when Kyungsoo walked in, shoulders squared, an unflinching gaze that never met anyone else's. Silence followed his steps into the room as everyone slowly turned to observe or gawk at him.

“Isn't that Do Kyungsoo?” Yuta asked and it took a second for Baekhyun to realise that he had been asking him. He nodded in mute confusion, staring at the profile of Kyungsoo's face as he stood a fair distance from everyone else, alone.

His family – the Do's – are infamous for their loyal connection to the Dark Lord, a fact that isn't overlooked during the second Wizarding War. There's always been speculation of course throughout the years he's spent at Hogwarts; if Kyungsoo was going to follow after his father's footsteps, is he already a Death Eater, is there a Mark on his left arm.

Baekhyun, who had been housemates with Kyungsoo in Slytherin, had never favoured the man. Despite being a year older, Kyungsoo was admitted into his batch due to his close age. Or connections from his father, Merlin knows. He never got close to Kyungsoo, for he had friends like Jongdae and Chanyeol who were Gryffindors but he wasn't brought up prejudiced against them due to some stupid house rivalry.

Kyungsoo, however, was different.

He wasn't aggressive in a violent way but his words held venom and he had a cold demeanour that would intimidate anyone that got near him or his friends. He was an itch that Baekhyun couldn't ignore and since everyone was wary of him, Baekhyun often rose to the occasion to put Kyungsoo in his place.

Maybe he was, after all, influenced by his Gryffindor friends.

After all the condescending insults thrown back and forth, ducking hexes in corridors, a lasting icy glare exchange, Kyungsoo disappeared in the beginning of the second Wizarding War, surprising everyone who believed the worst, expected to see him on the wrong side. His father and brother remained, close followers of the Dark Lord whereas Kyungsoo and his mother were simply... gone.

There were speculations of course, that the Dark Lord killed them or they were killed in one of their Death Eater raids. Everyone was sure that death was what happened to Kyungsoo as there was no other explanation for his sudden disappearance. Thus, the surprise at his appearance at Auror training out of all things! It was blasphemy.

Soon after, it was revealed by the Auror in charge that Kyungsoo returned from Europe, completed his studies abroad and sat for the Auror exams separately. For a moment, everyone was stunned.

Then, it turned into whispers, question marks at his true intentions, taunts from those who dared. Even so, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun discovered, turned out to be far from the boy he knew in Hogwarts. There was no prejudiced insults leaving his lips, words that'd poison a heart. He was quiet, obedient and...

Well, now he's Baekhyun's partner.

They reach the Head Auror's office and the door swings inwardly at their presence, signalling that Robards had been waiting for them.

“Morning boys,” Robards grunt in his usual way of greeting. Despite standing at twenty-three years old, Baekhyun is still often referred to as 'boy' by Robards, a technicality that Baekhyun did try to amend but was proven fruitless when Robards still stared down his nose at him like as if he was an actual fifth year in school sneaking around to be caught by him

Baekhyun lifts a two-fingered salute as his way of greeting while Kyungsoo says, “Morning, sir. What do you need us for?”

“Take a seat,” Robards gesture to the two armchairs before his desk.

The office is indeed spacious — the beauty of an extendable charm of course — with beige lined walls and wooden flooring accompanied by a lovely grey Persian rug that covered the width of the two armchairs. Baekhyun wouldn't believe that the office had been kept in such upkeep by Robards, surely someone before him had spectacular taste to design the office as such. He often dreamed of stepping into the office and taking the seat Robards is in as his own but that's a dream that's likely decades down the road as an Auror.

In the meantime, Baekhyun enjoys digging his boots into the rug while Robards regards them with a serious expression. He sits up in the armchair at the solemnity, forgoing the comfort he felt, and chances a glance at Kyungsoo to see the man sitting up straight casually with his hands folded in his lap. A perfect example of an Auror.

This used to bother Baekhyun, irked him so much that he'd pick verbal fights with Kyungsoo to try to edge him out. It did work at first; Kyungsoo couldn't stay off ignoring Baekhyun's loaded insults for any longer, he probably lives with the same itch Baekhyun's got with him.

“ _Kissed someone's ass thoroughly, did you? To get into the Auror force?” Baekhyun had shot out, voice tinged with such ferocity. The fire whistled within him, gaining traction, growing bigger... bigger._

_Kyungsoo looked at him. Just looked at him. A mix of resignation and exhaustion splattered across his features which was disarraying that Baekhyun couldn't look away._

“ _Sure, yeah, whatever,” Kyungsoo answered and quietened immediately._

_It shut Baekhyun up._

Gradually, Kyungsoo stopped fueling the fire in their fights, Baekhyun grew further confused by the lack of fight, felt his heart constrict at the change. Now, Baekhyun turns a little to his right to glance at his partner, feeling the amicable truce stretch between them comfortably. It's a thought that makes him ponder on the animosity they once had, questioning the bad blood for what it is and chiding himself for being so stubborn.

“Good job on the Jules' report. Maybe if Auror Byun could refrain from forgetting _certain_ _important_ procedures, it'd be perfect.”

Baekhyun snaps his head to the front, facing Robards. The Head Auror sends a sharp look at him and he casts his gaze lower, murmuring, “It was Kyungsoo's fault...”

Kyungsoo turns at that, having heard Baekhyun, and raises an eyebrow with a warning blazing in his gaze. Baekhyun smiles as innocently as he can.

“Alright boys! Got a case for you,” Robards waves a file in his hand. Baekhyun perks up in interest, leaning forward. The office immediately tightens with silencing charms in place, locking the door and windows effectively.

Robards continues, “There's been a significant amount of injured, wealthy muggles and torn down estates in their wake. It's been happening for a few months and the muggle police reports are close enough to string them together as a singular job. By an individual, gang or something more sinister, it's up to you boys to find out. All the descriptions of every muggle victim reported is found in the file. Questions?”

“How is this... _our_ problem?” Baekhyun cocks an eyebrow. Robards hadn't mentioned any magical aspect in the job.

“They were obliviated to the inch of their life.”

Both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo wince. Obliviation is a tough spell to carry out but obliviating someone of their entire life? That takes a lot of power. Baekhyun can imagine the perplexity of the muggle police officers dealing with the cases' victims, not even remembering the robber(s).

Kyungsoo leans forward, asking, “Sir, is it just rich muggles specifically or have there been any muggleborn wizards as well?”

“So far, no wizards are harmed. These attacks are solely fixated on the muggles, apparently.”

“Can't be a pureblood pulling them off either...” Baekhyun says in deep thought. Kyungsoo purses his lips at that.

“We can't eliminate purebloods just because of wealth, Auror Byun. There's other reasons for stealing from wealthy muggles. It could be a work of a pureblood...” Robards hesitates and Baekhyun notices him swiftly glancing at Kyungsoo before continuing. “A pureblood Death Eater. They have all the reason to, seeing how their own wealth have been seized after the war.”

Baekhyun nods, recognising the logic behind that. It may have been years since the war but Death Eaters are still at large, threatening the safety of many even when their leader had fallen. Baekhyun peeks out of the corner of his eye at Kyungsoo to see an emotionless mask in place at the mention of a terrorist following that his family was a part of.

“So that is all. You can work with the Obliviators on this and try to fix the muggles' minds,” Robards tosses the file at Baekhyun and it is only his seeker reflexes that are to be thanked for his ability to catch it. He idly flips to the front page and halts immediately.

Baekhyun looks up at the Head Auror, exclaiming, “ _Paris?!_ ”

“Ah right, sorry. Forgot to mention it,” Robards smile, though not at all apologetic. “You'll be working exclusively with the French Ministry of Magic on this as the attacks are happening there.”

“Why can't they get their own Aurors on the case?!”

“Auror Byun, this is a massive chance for you and Auror Do to establish international cooperation and gain more experience. You sure you want to argue against that?”

Baekhyun raises his eyebrows, not at all buying Robards' excuses.

The Head Auror senses that and sighs, “The French Auror force is.... quite... _lacking_ and they need a pair of Aurors that can work efficiently on the case.” He sighs louder. “So I suggested the both of you after overseeing the number of cases you cracked under a year with little to no help.”

Kyungsoo remains silent. Baekhyun smirks.

“Wasn't too hard, was it, sir?” Baekhyun teases. He closes the file and pats on it. “Thank you for the opportunity, we will do our best.” He bows before the Head Auror and makes his leave. Kyungsoo follows quickly after with a muttered word of gratitude too.

“That Robards,” Baekhyun starts, chuckling as they walk back to their cubicle. “It's so hard to twist a compliment out of him.” He turns to Kyungsoo, “Reckon Paris will be nice at this time of the year?”

“Does it state when we have to leave?” Kyungsoo asks, still not looking at him.

“Err...” Baekhyun pauses in his tracks, flipping through the file. “I suppose it's up to us. We still have make arrangements at the International Portkey office.”

Kyungsoo nods to himself, “Right.” He turns to Baekhyun, there's an odd daze in his stare that Baekhyun can't pinpoint, “Is three days enough to compile what we need for the case and trip?”

“Three?” Baekhyun says incredulously. He mentally checks through the things he needs, the notes he has to bring, any relevant files to the case. “Are you that eager?”

“Well, there are lives at stake, Byun,” Kyungsoo states simply as he walks again, back to the cubicle. Baekhyun trails after him. “I'll put together any relevant notes and books for the case while you...”

“I'll arrange a portkey. Do you prefer the morning or night, Do?”

“Such a loaded question, Byun,” Kyungsoo's voice finally sounds lighter since they left Robards' office. Baekhyun feels himself slumping in unconscious relief. “Mid-morning? After all, I'm taking the portkey with you. Merlin knows you're pathetic at waking up early.”

“Hey! I made it here early enough for the meeting!” Baekhyun protests, slamming the case file against Kyungsoo's arm lightly as the latter softly chuckles to himself.

“I got you the coffee,” Kyungsoo says, raising his eyebrows at him.

Baekhyun smirks, reaching over his desk for his mug. The coffee has gone stale by now but he still takes a sip and stares defiantly at Kyungsoo. He lifts the mug at him in a form of a salute, “And what would I do without you.”

It's mostly just words. A joke. A jesting remark that Baekhyun never thought through and so, the sudden reddening tips of Kyungsoo's ears intrigue him. Before he can point it out, Kyungsoo looks away and takes a seat in front of his desk.

“I believe we have an agenda to stick to,” Kyungsoo pointedly says.

He reaches a hand out to grab the file from Baekhyun to sift through the pages and read the case in detail. Baekhyun leans against the chair and sips his coffee a few times, as silence wraps around them. Tension is something that Baekhyun is used to but this is something different.

Nothing too concerning, Baekhyun thinks, and he quickly leaves his mug on the desk. Uttering a goodbye and receiving merely a wave, dismissing him further, Baekhyun sighs inwardly at the thought of sorting through the ordeal of an international portkey. Though, the fact that he's finally gotten a case that is more than just a shopkeeper's ignorance and _overseas_ truly lifts his spirits up.

_Paris,_ Baekhyun wonders, are the lights as bright as they say?

The first time Baekhyun got partnered up with Kyungsoo, he scoffed in disbelief.

“You're pulling my leg,” Baekhyun said to the Head Auror, Robards. And when Robards stared back at him, _never_ amused, Baekhyun repeated it without a snigger in his voice.

Robards waved him off with a parchment, probably detailing their mission, “I have no time for jokes, boy! Get on ahead with it!”

Baekhyun blanched in utter distress, taking the parchment while trying to devise a plan for his resignation from the Auror department.

He later complained about it to Chanyeol during his lunch break.

“I can't believe it's barely a year since I joined and I'm already faced with a death threat.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes at Baekhyun's dramatic antics, spearing his fork through a piece of chicken and waving it at Baekhyun. “You're just being overly dramatic, I'm sure Kyungsoo is not that bad.”

Baekhyun turned to him, eyebrow raised. “Do you not remember our Hogwarts days? I'm certain you were alive for it.”

The taller man winced at the mention of Hogwarts and their school years, retracing his steps. “Alright... then, I'm sure Kyungsoo has changed.”

But Baekhyun had his mind made up, sulkily moving his food around on his plate. “I'm going to _die_.”

(He didn't. The mission was anti-climatic with none of them passing more than two words to each other and spending most of the time in separate locations to fish out the suspect(s). Baekhyun returned to the Ministry with a sigh of relief.)

The second time, Baekhyun literally groaned out loud.

“You _have_ to be kidding me.”

Robards looked completely exasperated this time round, “This is work, Byun.”

Baekhyun was two seconds away from falling to his knees for a change of partners. He had gone through a year with cases that dealt with minor hexes and paperwork and training so this sudden promotion to going out in the field is something he wanted to maintain. Though, if he had to keep going through it with a partner that is Kyungsoo...

Anyone else literally would be better.

And he said so out loud.

“Deal with it,” Robards wasn't looking at him anymore, flipping through files. There was a tone of finality in his voice which prompted Baekhyun to turn around and drag his feet out of the office.

He didn't get to complain to Chanyeol during his lunch break but he did spend a good amount of time sparring with Sooyoung.

“What has gotten into you?” Sooyoung panted as she leaned forward, palms flat against her knees. Her fringe plastered to her forehead as beads of perspiration tinkled down her temples.

Baekhyun waved a quick _scourgify_ on the blood at the corner of his mouth – Sooyoung always throws a good punch – and shrugged in answer.

Sooyoung didn't buy it, narrowing her eyes, “No. The last time we sparred, you were whining about a _fuck ton of paperwork on your desk_ and _how the ministry is practically using you_. So what is it this time?”

Good point, Baekhyun thought, and he would gladly get back to the paperwork era if it meant no Kyungsoo. He slumped downwards to the mat, feeling like a child. Very much like one when he opened his mouth to murmur in a light whining voice, “Rowards put me on a mission with Do Kyungsoo again.”

“Isn't that go –” Sooyoung stopped abruptly at the sharp look Baekhyun gave her and restarted. “Okay, so it isn't good. Why?”

Baekhyun dropped his head back against the mat now, fully lying down in his sweat. He couldn't be bothered to move at the moment and if he could apparate within the Ministry, he would just pop into his apartment and forgo the rest of the day. It was what he deserved after such dreadful news.

“He's terrible and a bully.”

There was silence for a minute and then, “Okay... best of luck to you, I suppose?”

Baekhyun groaned for the nth time that day and looked up from his miserable position on the mat, “Round two?”

Sooyoung's smile was enough of an answer.

(It was a group mission, the bastard Robards didn't mention, but Baekhyun was still nervous when he was near Kyungsoo despite not having any acknowledgement at all.)

The third time... the third and final time, Robards called Baekhyun in for an important announcement.

“Your official partner is Kyungsoo,” Robards said in his gruff voice but it pierced through Baekhyun clear as day.

Baekhyun stared at him for a few moments of silence.

Then, he turned and left the room.

Baekhyun tried to find an escape but Sooyoung was out for the day, Chanyeol wasn't answering his floo at the store, he was desperate enough to go to the Improper Use of Magic office to find Jongdae (even though he was sure that Seungwan would kill him for distracting her employees). As he made up his mind to do so, he bumped into the one person he didn't want to.

Do Kyungsoo.

“I'll move my things next door to your cubicle.” Kyungsoo said as his way of greeting. He averted his gaze, fixated on a spot somewhere behind Baekhyun. “Robards said we're put on a long-term case, have you read the file?”

Baekhyun was mute in shock.

Kyungsoo finally lifted his gaze to Baekhyun – he never realised that there was a difference in their height until Kyungsoo looked up – and frowned at the lack of answer. He raised an eyebrow, “Well?”

Baekhyun cleared his throat. Nodded. Remembering the question asked, he shook his head and replied, “No.”

“You're not going to ask me to hard carry the team, are you,” Kyungsoo says in a drawling tone that was so familiar of the days back in Hogwarts that made Baekhyun blink twice. “I know you usually depend on people around you to do your work b –”

“And how would you know that?” Baekhyun interrupts, his stare hardening.

Kyungsoo looked at him for a second longer, his lips twisting into a smirk though not at all friendly. It was like a splitting image of Baekhyun's past and he had to check the uniforms they were donning – scarlet robes, not the black robes lined with emerald to represent their serpent house.

“Why, Byun, tales of your incompetence and unrelenting dependence on your minions to do your work were all the talk. I was frankly hesitant to be your partner in fear of being dragged down by your utter laziness.”

All Baekhyun could see was red.

His mouth twisted downwards, eyes narrowing as he leaned further into the space between them. Kyungsoo's eyes widened for a fraction before composing himself, but that one second was enough for Baekhyun to go on, to lash out, to spit poison right back at the man before him. The words were on his tongue, tasting so familiar of olden days, bitter.

“How do you think I felt, Do?” Baekhyun whispered thinly through gritted teeth. “To be stuck with nothing but a lowly coward from a _Death Eater_ 's bloodline.”

Baekhyun should've known to expect it but his mind was fixated on nothing else but the intensity of Kyungsoo's gaze and the utter noxious of his words. A flash in Kyungsoo's eyes, the only indication of what was next, and the hex hit Baekhyun right at his ribs.

He stumbled backwards from the attack, wincing at the sting spreading prickles along his left side. Baekhyun rubbed over and hissed when it still felt sore. The stinging hex was stronger than he expected.

Baekhyun saw Kyungsoo tucking the wand back into the sleeve of his robes and he uttered so softly yet firmly, a warning growling in his tone. “Watch your fucking words, Byun, or it might be more than just a sting.”

Kyungsoo turned around, leaving Baekhyun still wincing at the pain on his left side. When the Healer-in-charge asked about the cause, spreading a light salve over his skin, Baekhyun muttered a quiet _nothing, just bumped really hard against a wall during training._ The Healer raised an eyebrow at that but thankfully didn't probe further.

The tension lasted for months. They managed to finish cases together, though with biting remarks and a few more hexes. It was like an unspoken agreement to not tattle off to Robards, perhaps a challenge in Baekhyun's case as he refused to be the first to cave in.

The hostility burned in Baekhyun and he couldn't stand being partners with Kyungsoo. He complained to everyone in his life till the point that both Chanyeol and Jongdae threatened to kick him out. Then, he exerted all that rage in sparring with Sooyoung which ultimately helped him be quicker and stronger on his feet. Sooyoung was just happy enough to oblige, she was always up to fight, fight, fight.

And every single time, Baekhyun imagined stronger biceps meeting his every punch, stark black hair staining his vision, doe eyes staring fiercely into his gaze, plump lips pursed in concentration.

Their combination did solve a lot of cases and satisfied Robards to no end (which was unfortunate for Baekhyun as he was hoping to change partners). He wouldn't admit it but Kyungsoo was indeed quite efficient in providing background information for the cases they worked on, made it easier for them to theorise and supply a list of suspects to interrogate.

If only, Kyungsoo wasn't such a fucking asshole.

There were good days where they don't speak to each other unless absolutely necessary (in which this meant only relevant to Auror duties) and there were bad days where they were both left with hidden bruises underneath robes from hexes. Once Baekhyun made Kyungsoo vomit slugs at a very particularly targeted insult at his family, and he indulged in immense satisfaction at the sight of Kyungsoo trying to fix it and giving up to head to the Healer for aid.

Baekhyun thought the fights, the insults, the hostility would never end. It felt like it wouldn't. He couldn't imagine Kyungsoo as anything more than just purely vicious and mean. Then, of course, the universe had to change that for Baekhyun.

It wasn't much. They were out on a field mission – quite rare but Baekhyun welcomed the change in environments. It was a house raid of a group of wizards smuggling aconite to sedate innocent witches. The Aurors on the case needed the manpower as the wizards were rumoured to use Dark arts heavily. Baekhyun was exhilarated to be on his feet and a field mission meant that he could get away from Kyungsoo for a while.

After capturing the wizards – it was a duel of five to three and Baekhyun helped to bind the ring leader with an effective _incarcerous,_ he took a quick check around the grounds, tracing the magical signatures in the wards, looking for any discarded evidence, perhaps a forgotten enemy. It wasn't Baekhyun who came close to a forgotten person – not enemy though – and when he inched nearer, he recognised the back of the Auror aiding the small woman in back porch of the house.

She was shivering, no robes worn, just a plain tattered lilac blouse and white skirt that flowed down to her knees. There was a high slit on the skirt that kept swaying open due to the breeze of the reminiscent storm in the air but when Baekhyun looked closely, his stomach sickened to see it wasn't a fashioned slit. It was just as torn as her blouse had been.

“Are you alright?” the Auror, kneeling in front of her, asked. His voice was soft, so utterly familiar to Baekhyun but he had never heard it in that tone so the uncertainty remained. “Do you mind I checked you over for any lasting harm?”

The witch winced and the Auror took a step back, piling more distance between them even though he wasn't that close to her in the beginning. He asked again, affirming the woman, “I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to know if you're okay.”

“I...” the witch began. Her voice was croaky like she hadn't tasted a drop of water in weeks. Baekhyun's heart sank with the realisation that it was entirely possible. The witches they found weren't taken care of properly. “I'm not...comfortable... I'm sorry.”

She seemed to shrink into herself at that admittance. The Auror merely nodded and pocketed his wand back into his sleeve before standing up.

“No worries,” he said, a tone of understanding seeped in his voice. “Do you mind if I get my female colleague instead?”

The witch glanced upwards from where she sat and slowly nodded. “That'd be... okay,” a rush of gratitude burst in her voice. “Thank you.”

The Auror nodded once more, dismissing himself. A gasp left Baekhyun's lips as the man revealed himself, confirming his suspicions.

Kyungsoo.

For the first time, Baekhyun had the chance of seeing his eyebrows slanted down, not in an angered furrow, his lips sporting a small smile, eyes softening. Kyungsoo almost looked... … a word appeared in the rear of Baekhyun's mind, unbidden, and he immediately recoiled from it. No way in Merlin is he ever going to admit that even inwardly.

Baekhyun stepped out from hiding behind a tree and Kyungsoo's gaze immediately set upon him. The soft gaze from just moments before hardened quickly and Baekhyun found himself reminiscing it, wanting it.

“I uh...” Baekhyun rubbed at the nape of his neck, feeling a little abashed and nervous for no reason. “Good job out there.”

Kyungsoo looked startled, lips parting in surprise, and it would be completely comical if Baekhyun didn't feel as disoriented.

Baekhyun knew that their enmity would never end unless one of them stepped up, _grew up_. It wasn't Hogwarts anymore, he was well aware of that. It was mostly stubbornness wearing him down to act this way around Kyungsoo; he wouldn't accept anything else. Kyungsoo is clearly capable on his own, he's a good Auror, always finishes his duties with utmost perfection (sometimes Baekhyun couldn't pull that off either, he's had a hard time admitting it), and it seems like it's possible for him to have a heart.

Alright, that was quite unnecessary. Kyungsoo does have a heart. Baekhyun was always just giving him a hard time for something that was past them now. Even if Kyungsoo partook in all of the fights with equal fervour.

Baekhyun had to wave the white flag at some point. He couldn't go through his whole Auror career, verbally sparring with Kyungsoo and suffering the blunt end of his hexes.

“I just want to say that you handled today really well, not that I didn't expect you to,” his eyes darted to the back porch and he could tell that Kyungsoo saw the correlation of his gaze as his cheeks reddened a little. “I've been too hard on you the past few months and I want to apologise properly for my behaviour.”

“Though!” Baekhyun quickly added. “You acted just as despicable. So you're just as much at fault.”

Baekhyun had feared that Kyungsoo would just curse him out, tell him that _no apology is going to make up for it_ , stomp on the little hope he had for normalcy. Instead, surprise greeted him in the form of a chuckle leaving Kyungsoo's lips, unforced, lacking any animosity.

“I really didn't expect you to be this forthcoming,” Kyungsoo said. “Colour me surprised, I never thought you had it in you.”

“Careful, Do,” Baekhyun arched an eyebrow. “I might take it back.”

Sobriety filled Kyungsoo's eyes and he sighed, losing the jest. “I apologise for how I've acted as well. Perhaps, it'd be easier to work together if we established a truce.”

Baekhyun smiled.

It seemed to shock Kyungsoo, his eyes widening, probably because Baekhyun's smiles were never directed at him. He was used to sneers, a fiery glare that fueled fights between them, arrogant smirks when Baekhyun was victorious. Baekhyun thought the smile would've been harder to wear but after seeing how Kyungsoo handled the witch, the unexpected caring attitude that he had never had the pleasure of witnessing until now, it came easier.

“Truce,” Baekhyun's smile softened and he had his hand outreached towards Kyungsoo. The latter looked at Baekhyun's hand, flitting his eyes back to Baekhyun with a question lingering in his expression. “I'd like that.”

Kyungsoo's hand slowly clasped Baekhyun's in a firm tug. The warmth of his skin remained with Baekhyun for the rest of the day, a reminder of the milestone they've ascended upon, the responsibility to uphold amicability.

Which was how Kyungsoo ended up, being there almost every morning to hand Baekhyun a cup of his coffee, exactly as he liked it.

“Paris, huh?” Chanyeol says as he twists the cap off a beer bottle. Baekhyun watches this from his kitchen, shaking his head, wondering why the fuck does Chanyeol own a wand for if he doesn't utilise it. “City of lights, city of dreams, city of _looooove.”_

“Glad to know that you've been spending your time watching romantic comedies when I'm away at work,”

Baekhyun brings the take-out boxes over to the coffee table, setting the _mutton briyani_ in front of Chanyeol as he hoards the _chicken masala_ and _garlic naan_ all to himself. No one, he repeats, no one is allowed to sneak a bite off his Indian food. He shoots a deterrent glare at Chanyeol just to emphasise his point.

“When are you leaving, though?” Chanyeol asks, spluttering bits of coloured rice over the coffee table. He doesn't seem to notice, merely chewing away while Baekhyun tampers down the disgust and quickly vanishes the mess with a wave of his wand.

“In three days.”

Chanyeol's eyes widen at this. His mouth is still full and Baekhyun stares at him, arching an eyebrow when he parts his lips to probably exclaim, though he finally registers the look of disgust on Baekhyun's face. He smiles sheepishly, properly chewing his food first.

“Okay so,” Chanyeol says after a beat. “Three days?”

Baekhyun nods, dragging a piece of naan through the gravy.

“Eager, aren't we?” he doesn't miss the waggle of Chanyeol's eyebrows trying to suggest something else entirely. He's grown accustomed to his best friends' constant teasing.

“Not exactly.”

“What do you mean?”

At this, Baekhyun pauses over a piece of chicken. He pushes it around in the takeaway container, remembering the expression on Kyungsoo's face when Robards announced the case to them in the office.

“He seemed... nonchalant about it.”

Chanyeol chuckles, “Isn't that Kyungsoo about everything?”

“Well, right, yeah,” Baekhyun agrees. “But he seemed quite withdrawn afterwards.”

As Baekhyun said it, he realises how true it is. It is after all their first important case in a while and quite a breakthrough at that; going overseas. Everyone in the department knows how rare it is to be considered for a case overseas, to be working with foreign Aurors. It's a step up in their Auror careers. Kyungsoo ought to be as excited as Baekhyun over the opportunity.

Perhaps it's nerves? The details of the case (as far as Baekhyun knows from flipping through the file for a whole five minutes) seem murky and there isn't quite much to go on, but _still._ They've established a good, efficient partnership in the past year and a half, they've dealt with mind-boggling cases and solved them. Baekhyun can't imagine a sudden loss of confidence.

Or maybe... Baekhyun's mind deters and he scolds himself inwardly for the unbidden thought. They're heading to a beautiful city, forced to spend a lot of time together _alone_ in a _city_ where things are likely to be unfamiliar. They have to depend on each other and only have each other's presence for the entire time, excluding the French Ministry and French Aurors. Even so, they're just as unfamiliar as the city to Baekhyun and Kyungsoo.

He pushes the thought away almost immediately, it sounded too much like Chanyeol's subconscious.

“Hold on,” Chanyeol stiffens as if remembering something important like leaving the stove on or forgetting to water the plants. Then, he treads on, uncertain, “Didn't... Kyungsoo stay in France during... um. Um.”

“The war?” Baekhyun supplies helpfully, with a cocked eyebrow. He ponders on this, trying to recall any information on Kyungsoo's whereabouts during the war when he suddenly disappeared with his mother. “All I know is he was in Europe.”

“I've heard somewhere that he stayed in France then,” Chanyeol frowns. “Maybe that's why he's so withdrawn about it?”

“But _why?_ ” Baekhyun can't understand. “Not like he suffered the war in France.” At this, Chanyeol's frown deepens with dissent but Baekhyun goes on. “I'm not about to ask how he spent those years away. I think we're smarter than that to bring anything up from then.”

Chanyeol nods and doesn't say anything so Baekhyun prompts him by nudging his elbow right into his ribs, causing him to exclaim, “Nothing! Alright!”

Baekhyun narrows his eyes at him, his best friend definitely looks suspicious in the way that he's paying attention to a curry leaf on the briyani. “That's not nothing. What do you know, Park Chanyeol? Spill.”

The taller man merely shrugs but Baekhyun is relentless – really Chanyeol should know better than to try to withhold information from an Auror – with his nudges, digging his elbow deeper into Chanyeol's side. He finally cracks and shoves Baekhyun off, hissing when that last nudge poked a little too hard into his skin.

“Merlin, you're so obnoxious!” Chanyeol shouts and Baekhyun snorts, “Takes one to know another.”

“Anyway, I really _don't_ know anything, quit bullying me! I only heard that Kyungsoo had to take care of his mother and it was a huge ordeal.”

Baekhyun tilts his head at Chanyeol, processing that. “His... mother?”

Chanyeol is still nursing his ribs with a pout, “Yeah. Then again, it's all word of mouth. Not sure if it's true.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“There's lots of gossip at the shop, Kyungsoo came up as a topic once.”

“Of course you'd partake in gossip. You watch muggle romcoms in your free time, spin tales of a non-existent romance, and now you gossip with old ladies of the Wizarding world.”

A resounding slap echoes in the living room as Baekhyun is promptly pushed over to the carpet. He moves to touch his arm where Chanyeol practically _assaulted_ him but his hand is sticky with yellow gravy and he opts for a stern glare at his best friend whom is ignoring him steadily.

“Anyway, don't mention any of it to him. I can't imagine how well he'd take it to know that people gossip about him.”

“I'm sure Do knows that people talk about him,” Baekhyun remarks. “But yeah, I'm not stupid enough to ask him about it. Don't look at me like that.”

Chanyeol is still narrowing his eyes at Baekhyun in distrust which is quite disrespectful in Baekhyun's opinion. Really, it's been a while since he's tried to get a rise out of Kyungsoo. Definitely not anything negative. Friendly bouts of back and forth bickering is healthy but he knows better now than to head into any discussion regarding the war. Things are still sensitive in that sense and probably will be forever, until Baekhyun gets a new partner that is.

“I don't know, Baek,” Chanyeol says, finally tearing his eyes away and focusing on his dinner again. He glances at Baekhyun meaningfully again though, “You've never had a sound mind when it comes to Kyungsoo.”

It took a couple of months (five to be exact but hey, no one's counting!) before Baekhyun came around to inviting Kyungsoo out for drinks on his usual Wednesday nights with the boys.

_Not_ in that sense though Jongdae had a field day imagining that, Baekhyun was forced to nudge an awfully sharp jab to his ribs to stop his cackling. Chanyeol merely sat across them, stifling his own laughter despite the fact that it was his idea in the very first place.

“ _You guys are the absolute worst!” Baekhyun whined, he had been resorted to being bullied under his own damn roof. This was why he was better off alone. What was the point of inviting company over when all said company do was poke fun at his misery?_

_Chanyeol snickered and tried to compose himself when Baekhyun turned sharply in his direction with a glare. “I didn't say anything. Jongdae was the one.”_

_Jongdae was still doubling over in laughter, “Oh please, PLEASE! You purposely brought it up! You knew this would be said!”_

_There was an interruption of “No, I did – Baek – For Merlin's sake, drop the wand, I didn't say it!! Hex Jongdae instead!” from Chanyeol in an entertaining array of emotions ranging from amusement, panic and horror all the while Baekhyun shot a bat bogey hex swiftly and accurately at him._

_Jongdae cackled louder and rolled off the couch, falling to the carpeted floor, as Chanyeol moaned in pain._

Baekhyun stood, hesitant, by his desk. His eyes kept straying to Kyungsoo slowly piling his own files and slotting them neatly into a corner of his desk. The lack of magic constantly bothered Baekhyun and usually he would make a teasing remark on it but his mind was already occupied with persisting matters.

Drinking on Wednesday nights bore into fruition way before Baekhyun joined the Auror force. He was fresh out of Hogwarts, still aching from the war nightmares and desperate for any source of escapism. Jongdae was already chasing trails to land a Ministry job whilst Chanyeol naturally took over the basement of his parents' house to invent shit he dreamt of in the Gryffindor tower.

Baekhyun was feeling utterly aimless. It wasn't like he didn't have any aspirations, he did. Throughout his adolescence, he dreamt of being so many, could actually envision himself as being one or two or so much more. But war is war and all of his hopes burnt along with the dead so the one and only accomplishment he was capable of was closing down the home he inherited naturally and moving into a smaller home, an apartment on the outskirts of London.

There began his days and nights of being a sloth. Baekhyun kept a journal, tried to write and failed. He went to the Magical Menagerie to consider a pet and left with a lonelier heart. He tried running but it felt too soon, he was still being chased. He gave up one night and surrendered to a call from Jongdae.

It was a Wednesday.

And it stuck.

Kyungsoo was familiar enough with this tradition, sneering whenever Baekhyun left him in the elevator to take the floo with Jongdae. A signature, sarcastic call, _“have fun, Byun”_ that never meant anything more when Baekhyun tried to further discern it. He knew enough that when Thursday morning rolled around, he was no longer peeved by the sight of Baekhyun wincing and groaning from pain of a hangover.

“Um,” Baekhyun says. It captured Kyungsoo's attention as he looked up from the pile of parchments that he had been leafing through, eyebrow arched in curiosity. The words sat right there on the tip of Baekhyun's tongue, he just had to say it. Say it. Say it. _Say –_

“Do you want to come out for a drink?” Baekhyun finally blurted. It was simple enough. His record best, if he was honest. Then, Baekhyun opened his mouth again and worsened it. “With me? If you want? Uh.. not like a date! Not like going on a date would be terrible, I! Just! Mean! With my friends and I? You can bring yours?”

Kyungsoo blinked at him.

Baekhyun briefly closed his eyes, exhaling slow and steady. He fixated his gaze upon a point beyond their desks, at someone's moving Quidditch poster. “Right. So, drinks?”

“That was rather eloquent of you,” Kyungsoo answered. “But I'm afraid I'd have to say no.”

“Why?” Baekhyun asked and snapped his gaze back at Kyungsoo, forgetting the fact that his cheeks were already reddened from embarrassment.

Kyungsoo looked surprised. Eyes slightly widened, lips parted, a pinch of his fingers in mid-air in attempt to pick up a quill. He dropped his hand to his sides and looked elsewhere. It was a sight that was equally confusing and surprising to Baekhyun, he found himself transfixed by the way Kyungsoo's hand curled inwards into a lightly clenched fist, the working purse of his lips, his eyes for once not boring holes into Baekhyun's soul.

“I... I don't think I'd be welcomed as much as you insist.”

Baekhyun tilted his head at Kyungsoo, scrutinising. “Maybe before but things have changed, you've changed.”

Kyungsoo looked startled at this, there's a moment of quiet between them and Baekhyun began overthinking his answer, had it been too much?

“I didn't... exactly change that much,” Kyungsoo murmured and the look of uncertainty made Baekhyun's heart ache a little.

“You did or we wouldn't be here,” Baekhyun insisted. He grabbed his robes from the back of his chair and patted Kyungsoo's shoulder, “C'mon. We have to reach there in ten or else we're responsible for buying the first round.”

They ended paying for the first round though at the end of the night, Baekhyun mildly registered that Kyungsoo had actually picked the bill up all by himself. Initially, it was a little awkward. When they reached the Leaky and Baekhyun was pulled into an embrace with both Jongdae and Chanyeol, Kyungsoo stood around, hands in pockets, looking a little timid.

Chanyeol took one glance at Kyungsoo and clapped him on his back, “Welcome to the most disastrous bar night of your life. I hope Baekhyun has told you that if you're late, you'll be buying the first round.”

Jongdae poked his head over Baekhyun's shoulder, grinning at Kyungsoo. “Yeah, no escape whatsoever. Not even if you're Baekhyun's infamous Auror boy.”

The casual remark caused Baekhyun to redden slightly and he shoved at Jongdae's chest. He muttered lowly, “Can't get a break 'round here.” He pulled Kyungsoo away to head to the bar. “Sorry about that. My friends are idiots though you'd know … because... yeah.”

Kyungsoo shrugged. “I don't expect anything less from Gryffindors.”

Baekhyun called for a round of four firewhiskys and cocked an eyebrow at Kyungsoo, “Any regrets, Do?”

He chuckled, reaching for the drinks, levitating them as they walked back to the table. “Why don't you ask me again at the end of the night?”

Kyungsoo walked ahead and greeted Chanyeol and Jongdae with the drinks as Baekhyun lingered after him, wondering if he had done the right thing and if he did, why was his heart pacing faster than a ride on a hippogriff?

Perhaps it was unexpected only for Baekhyun's case but Chanyeol and Jongdae warmed up to Kyungsoo immediately. Watching the way Kyungsoo's dry humour cracked them up, the way he gave advice on charms for Chanyeol's shop and the way he conversed about work with Jongdae, it boggled Baekhyun's mind as to why this combination wasn't a reality back in Hogwarts. Kyungsoo mingled into the group so easily, it felt like the past years of animosity never happened at all.

Baekhyun was right and he believed his own words then; Kyungsoo had changed.

A few rounds went by and the firewhisky had loosened Baekhyun's tongue, his limbs, his attention span. He leaned heavily to his right, head cushioned by a very warm body. His eyes were slowly sliding shut and he kept trying to blink them awake, to listen closely to the conversation going on around him. Baekhyun wasn't even sure what number was he on. The fourth drink? Or was it fifth? He had to stop by six or else his trip back home would be difficult.

The body Baekhyun was leaning on suddenly shook him awake and he whined, immediately latching a grip onto the person, fingers wrapping around the arm, digging into the skin.

“Good luck, Kyungsoo, you're stuck with clingy Baek.”

“Is he always like this while drinking?” a deep voice resonated near his ear and Baekhyun winced slightly.

“Chanyeol used to be his victim,” Jongdae replied, amusement lined in his voice. “But Baekhyun is surprisingly capable of going home by himself even when he's like this so no worries.”

“Why should I be worried?” Kyungsoo – Baekhyun had a sudden realisation that he was leaning onto him as the voice grumbled near his ear.

Baekhyun pushed himself away from Kyungsoo and cast his gaze elsewhere, trying to will the redness down though he knew it was useless. At least he was tipsy so the alcohol was always a good excuse for the growing blush up his neck.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I think I'll head back first.”

A hand shot out to steady Baekhyun as he stumbled back against the table.

“Careful, Byun,” Kyungsoo said, his voice running shivers down Baekhyun's back, he hadn't realised how cold it was in the Leaky. “Think I might join you.”

Kyungsoo turned to Jongdae and Chanyeol. A smile graced his lips, though it was small, Baekhyun gazed openly at him in mute surprise. The smile softened the harshness of his face, the lines on his forehead disappeared and his cheeks looked more full.

“Thanks for inviting me tonight.”

“No problem, do join us next time,” Jongdae clapped onto Kyungsoo's shoulder in a friendly gesture as Chanyeol beamed at him, “Yeah. Come by the store sometime, we can work on some prototypes.”

Kyungsoo nodded, turning to face Baekhyun. His smile faded but he didn't look as unapproachable as in the Auror office. There was a different light to his gaze, Baekhyun was too tipsy to decipher, but he decided that it was nice.

They fell into step, walking towards the Floo once Baekhyun shared his goodbyes as well. Jongdae had whispered something suggestive into his ear which he immediately batted Jongdae's face away. He would aim a hex at him if he wasn't afraid of accidentally directing his hex at a nearby, innocent wizard instead.

“I'll see you to—”

“So any regrets?”

Kyungsoo blinked at Baekhyun's interruption. “What?”

He leaned in, breath scorched with fire, whispering, “Any regrets tonight, Do?”

Baekhyun was already half gone but he felt almost immediately sobered at the intensity of Kyungsoo's gaze, scrutinising him like he held an answer to the question he had in mind. Baekhyun should be looking at Kyungsoo like _that_ , as Kyungsoo held all the answers to the mystery that was him, that boggled Baekhyun's mind endlessly. Instead, he was shifting, swaying a little to the breeze of the fire behind them. Anyone else could easily come up and ruin the moment between them now with a demand for access to the Floo but right there and then, Baekhyun was fixed in Kyungsoo's gaze, he felt like the flames before him. Swaying, breathing, _ablaze._

“Do you?”

Baekhyun had been waiting for an answer so long that the rebounding question threw him off, “What?”

“I asked, do you regret inviting me tonight?”

“No,” Baekhyun said firmly. Then, as an afterthought, “I should've done it sooner.”

The silence stretched between them as Baekhyun's words filled the air. Slowly, the ends of Kyungsoo's mouth curled upwards. It was a ghost of a smile, barely there, if Baekhyun hadn't spent years watching every move of his Auror partner, he wouldn't have noticed.

The fire behind them surged on.

“Then, no,” Kyungsoo said, the soft of his voice easily lost in the chatter of the drunken night but Baekhyun was hanging on to every word, every quirk, every breath. “I have no regrets.”

Chanyeol's words still linger in Baekhyun's mind the morning after and he hesitates before his shared space with Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun is known to be a little overbearing with his persistent questions, itching to know the truth and satiating his curiosity. It's an Achilles' heel, something he's been chided over and over again. So he ponders on what Chanyeol told him last night and despite his advice, he contemplates the possibility of being hexed when asking Kyungsoo about his mother.

“Portkey arrangements okay?” Kyungsoo asks in his way of greeting. He's already seated at his desk, scribbling something on a parchment. Baekhyun catches a few words there and then; _interview the local police, visit victims..._

Baekhyun nods, “We're good for a 10am departure.” He pauses, “I've been looking at hotels an –”

“There's no need for that.”

Startled by the interruption, Baekhyun blinks. “Um, why?”

“It's been arranged; there's a hotel close to the French Ministry. We have a reservation there.”

“Alright,” Baekhyun nods slowly. “Floo coordinates given?”

“Everything's ready, Byun.”

Just two days more, Baekhyun thinks as he settles down at his desk. The mystery surrounding Kyungsoo, his mother, France, remains and he's distracted by the many questions. He barely reels back the urge, the question on the tip of his tongue, but he knows deep in his heart that opening the door in _that_ direction isn't at all favourable. Not when his truce with Kyungsoo is going so well.

It still doesn't ease Baekhyun's thoughts however and he sits on the palms of his hands all day.

The International Portkey office is a chaotic mess in the morning. There's lots of wizards fussing bout, loud, demanding voices and no end of bumping into both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. Baekhyun briefly entertains a last minute idea of escaping out the door to take the muggle train to France but he isn't too sure how comfortable Kyungsoo would be with that so he stays put, wedged in the line to collect the portkey.

“Name, Portkey number and your thumb, please.”

“Byun Baekhyun and Do Kyungsoo,” he rattles off the six digit number and presses his thumb against the tip of the officer's wand, scanning his magical signature and confirming his identity. Kyungsoo follows after with his.

The officer passes them a small aluminium can, “Tap once against it with your wands and it'll take off in five seconds. Safe travels!”

They're ushered to another area where a bunch of wizards are holding onto their own designated portkeys, whirling into nothingness once five seconds pass. Baekhyun glances at Kyungsoo and notices that the latter already has his wand by his side.

“Right,” Baekhyun says, sliding his wand right out of his sleeve. “Ready?”

Kyungsoo nods, wrapping his fingers around the can as well. His pinky sits right next to Baekhyun's and he takes a deep breath. On a count of three, they both tap the portkey with their wands lightly. The pink of Kyungsoo's cheeks, likely by the cold, is the last thing Baekhyun sees before he's whirled into the can, transporting him to France.

“ _Allez, quoi!”_

Baekhyun stumbles a little on his landing and turns around, transfixed by the seemingly similar situation to the British office though the French office isn't breaking apart at the seams. There's a French couple nearby and the witch is tugging on the wizard's wrist.

“ _Bonjour!_ For apparations, please head to your right where there is a point to safely apparate to anywhere in Paris. For further portkey collections, please head straight to join the line. For the Floo network, please head to your left and ask an officer on your designated Floo coordinates.”

His mind is still spinning from the international portkey jump and he almost stumbles on his feet as he turns to face Kyungsoo. The doe-eyed man is still clutching onto the can tightly, jaw clenched. Baekhyun slowly leans forward, jolting Kyungsoo out of whatever reverie he's in with a light press of Baekhyun's fingertips against his wrist.

“Shall we take the Floo?” Baekhyun asks, his hand remains on Kyungsoo's wrist.

Kyungsoo doesn't say a word, merely nodding.

After flooing straight to the hotel, they are escorted to the lobby to disguise their identity as wizards, seeing as the hotel does allows Muggles to stay. They promptly unshrink their suitcases, to fit the part as tourists. Baekhyun barely had a chance to properly gape at the grandness of the hotel they're staying in when they are approached with an obstacle.

“ _One room?!”_

The receptionist winces slightly at the volume of Baekhyun's voice. He would apologise but his mind is spinning, he is already dead on his feet and Kyungsoo is right; he can't function this early in the morning. And he haven't had a cup of coffee yet.

“I'm afraid the hotel is currently populated and we understand the reservations were for two rooms but there had been some oversight...”

“Is there really _no_ way to acquire two rooms?” Baekhyun persists. “ _At all?_ ”

The receptionist purses her lips, wrangling her hands. Her gaze darts between the screen (Baekhyun believes it is a computer from his knowledge of Muggle Studies) and the pair hounding the counter.

A hand comes up o rest atop Baekhyun's arm and Kyungsoo leans in, “It's okay. May we have the keycard please?”

In the elevator, though way fancier than the one in the Ministry, with its gold details, Baekhyun huffs, “We made reservations, the hotel should see to it!”

Kyungsoo sighs, “I understand that you have a tendency to be dramatic over every little thing but this is a mere mistake on their end, we can handle staying in a room together.”

“Speak for yourself,” Baekhyun mutters as they landed on their floor. At least the room is on the higher levels, he would have thrown a proper fit if it was under tenth floor. “I rather have my bits intact when I wake up.”

Kyungsoo glances at Baekhyun with a look of amusement, he arches an eyebrow. “Exactly _what_ are you imagining I'd do with your precious bits, Byun?”

Baekhyun is fairly saved from answering when they reach their room (Merlin, _their one and only room together_ ). He fiddles with the keycard and manages to unlock the door, he is clearly more inquisitive than he thought. He figured he would have tried an _alohomora_ as he hadn't a slightest clue as to why a keycard instead of a proper key.

He is about to recite this out to Kyungsoo to gather his opinion on Muggles and their odd ways of unlocking doors when he is rendered mute at the sight of the room.

It is indeed spacious, which is a relief. Baekhyun didn't manage to ask about the details of the room beforehand. Despite the hotel's incompetence, they really delivered on giving them the best room possible and it seems so. It looks way more luxurious than anything Baekhyun has lived in, okay, maybe he is really dramatic. He did live in a manor, but this comes close. There's a proper sitting room with... a television (? He thinks so at least) and a small kitchen through another door.

Baekhyun silently walks in, turning the corner to see two beds perfectly made for them. There's a single desk for a lamp in between the beds with a set of drawers for their usage.

Kyungsoo steps in next to him and makes his way straight for the bed near the wide windows. He sets his belongings down and clears his throat, loud and sudden in the silence they were thrown into at the grandeur of their shared hotel room.

“I'll just set camp here, if you don't mind.”

Baekhyun frowns but doesn't say much. It's not like he'd prefer any bed specifically. They fall into a routine of unpacking their suitcases, moving around each other in silence.

The room had been approved for use of magic beforehand so their chores pass by without any issues. Baekhyun makes use of his free time to take a shower and lounge comfortably. They planned to head to the French Ministry after lunchtime and even though Baekhyun has yet to consume anything, he feels exhaustion pulling him down under rather than hunger so he succumbs easily to it.

Before his eyes close, he catches a peek of Kyungsoo leaning against the glass windows, staring straight ahead with a lost expression on his face.

“ _Bonjour Auror Byun and Auror Do!”_ a woman wearing similar scarlet robes, ginger hair tightened into a neat ponytail, greets them with a cheery smile, eyes crinkled. “Je suis Auror Abbot, je suis l'Auror sur le cas. Enchanté , comment ça va?”

Baekhyun blinks at the rapid French leaving Auror Abbot's lips. He considers a translation charm but the one he knows of is extremely wonky and not at all dependable. He once used it to communicate with a Japanese Auror visiting the Ministry and ended up misunderstanding half the things they said. Like directions to the washroom turned into directions to the Department of Mysteries.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo speaks up next to him in fluent French, surprising Baekhyun with his perfectly accented, raspy voice. “Très bien, merci.” He glances at Baekhyun whom is staring at him in muted fascination, “Je suis désolé, mon partenaire ne comprend pas le français.”

Auror Abbot casts a look of understanding at Baekhyun, nodding. “Ah, d'accord, d'accord!” She continues in a heavy accent, “Hello, welcome to the Ministry in France! I'm Auror Abbot, I will be assisting you on the case.”

Baekhyun politely smiles, reaching out to shake her hand firmly. “Nice to meet you, Auror Abbot. I hope speaking English isn't too much of a hassle for you.”

“Non, non!” her smile is infectious, too bright for the bland, dreary walls of the Ministry. “Translation charms can be très terrible!”

A floating ball of light, resembling a softly uttered _lumos_ , drifts towards them and Auror Abbot dissolves it with a wave of her wand, nodding along to something that Baekhyun can't seem to understand.

“Just like our flying notes in the Ministry, the French cast balls of light to send their messages to the recipients and using their wands, the message is securely delivered by being visible only to the intended.”

Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo briefly, “That's quite efficient. Jongdae used to steal my flying aeroplanes all the time.”

“I thought so too but it's very complex magic, we have to bind the message to the recipient's magical signature.”

“Still better than stolen flying aeroplanes.”

To Baekhyun's surprise, Kyungsoo smiles jovially, a quick quirk of his lips. He has a light sense of deja vu and before he can ponder on it, Auror Abbot faces them with a message to relay.

“The Head Auror is ready to meet you.”

They follow Auror Abbot through the maze of the Auror office. It's similar to the British office though there are distinct differences; the space in the cubicles is more spacious, clear, bright light streaming in from the windows that reflect a perfect sunny day, personal relics shining all over the office to bring colour to the dullness of the white walls. Baekhyun thinks of the white walls back in the British office and the sense of confinement that chokes him when he sits at his desk too long.

“I'm envious,” Baekhyun says. “Back in our office, the blinds are shut and sometimes the light flicker.” Which is an understatement to the incompetence of the British Ministry really. There had been instances where Baekhyun had to suffer trips in the elevator in utter darkness. It's worse when he's alone.

Auror Abbot laughs, “Sounds like your Ministry needs to learn a few tricks.” She gestures at the windows, “Every month, a different Auror changes the scenery according to what they want. Once, we had a scenery of the ocean and it scared me because the waves were so realistic.”

Baekhyun's eyes sparkle, immediately seeking the enchanted windows out, amazed. “You won't survive in the Slytherin dungeons then.”

She glances at him, smiling, “I've heard rumours.”

They stop before a wooden door, a nicely polished gold plaque reading _Louis Wright, Head Auror_. Just as Auror Abbot raises her hand to knock, the door immediately swings inwards, admitting them in. A friendly, lightly tanned face peers out and brightens even more at the sight of the company.

“Auror Byun and Auror Do!” the stranger – Head Auror Wright, Baekhyun can only assume, exclaims. He rushes them in. “Come in, come in! Oh my days!”

They're all quickly ushered in with the door shutting close behind them. Baekhyun feels the work of silencing and privacy charms settling in. The Head Auror leans forward with a hand outstretched to shake their hands, his grip is firm and his smile is way too wide for his position. Baekhyun thinks of Head Auror Robards and the permanent frown on his face when regarding the Aurors.

Auror Wright circles around his desk and invites them to take a seat. “It's such a pleasure to meet you two. I've heard nothing but the best about you. Highest rate of success as rookie Aurors, no less!”

Baekhyun chuckles, lightly beaming with pride. “Thank you, sir.”

Kyungsoo pipes up, he has a smile on his face too. It must be Auror Wright's contagious friendliness as Baekhyun has never seen him be this jovial with anyone at work.

“We've had Head Auror Robards to lead us in every operation...it's hardly us...”

“And humble!” Auror Wright grins. “While I'd love to chat with you two, maybe someday, we have pressing matters to attend to.”

He snaps his fingers and a file is immediately summoned to his desk. He picks it up, flicking through the pages and settling on a page. Pushing the file towards them, he gestures to the contents, the smile from earlier dimming down.

“We've had a few of our Aurors looking into this case but with the amount of workload and the lack of staff, we don't really have the proper manpower and honestly...the brains to tackle this case with vigour,” Auror Wright says.

Baekhyun's eyes glaze over the details on the page. There's an anatomical picture depicting the injuries of a victim. A muggle anatomy as there is no in-depth on any spells inflicted upon the person. He traces the length of what seems to be an injury stricken to the head and grimaces. That's probably the strength of an Obliviate knocking the victim out.

“While I understand this is your first case overseas, Auror Abbot here will guide you through. All details are to be followed in this case file. We are still awaiting report for the magic inflicted upon the victims – there's five victims in total. All in Muggle hospital custody.”

Baekhyun looks up at the Head Auror. “Our Obliviator will be arriving tomorrow, we'll have them oversee the magical reports too if that's alright.”

“An extra pair of hands will always be welcome,” Auror Wright nods.

“We'd also like to interview the law enforcement here,” Kyungsoo asks. “It's written here the interviews have been conducted but I'd like Auror Byun and myself to judge for ourselves.”

“No problem,” Auror Abbot says. “We'll arrange it for tomorrow morning. I had today afternoon planned for visiting the victims, if that's okay?”

Baekhyun hesitates, it was in their agenda to interview the police first. He catches Kyungsoo's eye and raises his eyebrows questioningly. The latter presses his lips together and nods in agreement to Auror Abbot.

“Yeah, that's fine,” Kyungsoo affirms. He closes the case file and stands up. Baekhyun follows after. “Thank you, sir, for having us. We'll do our best to solve this case and fix their memories as soon as possible.”

The Head Auror smiles at them, nodding. “You have my full confidence, boys.”

It turns out that visiting the victims doesn't provide much of an insight into the case.

Baekhyun has never been quite proficient in Muggle Studies, dropping it immediately in his fourth year because he couldn't afford to keep up with the subject. At the time, he hadn't set his sights upon being an Auror just yet, still lost in the freedom and ease of being a teenager and fooling around. Even though he's friends with Jongdae, who's a Muggleborn wizard, he still has trouble differentiating between a laptop and a computer (he doesn't get why there has to be two types??).

Visiting the muggle hospital is becoming a bust. Even in proper disguises, Baekhyun couldn't quite disguise his lack of knowledge at how.. anything works really. Auror Abbot is kind enough to explain the gist of it all, leading conversations with the doctor in charge. Baekhyun merely hangs in the back, glancing at the victims put under a coma.

His eyes are immediately fixated on the long line of a scar running down a victim's head, barely covered by the wrap of bandages. It doesn't look like a normal injury – a web of lines branching out from the scar suggests otherwise and his heart sinks.

“Do you think that's...” Baekhyun nudges Kyungsoo, discreetly gesturing to the victim in bed.

Kyungsoo had been listening to the conversation Auror Abbot is having with the doctor. He turns around to face the victim, eyes seeking out what Baekhyun had mentioned. His face blanches in sinking realisation just like Baekhyun, further solidifying his suspicions.

“Is it on all of the victims?” Kyungsoo whispers.

Baekhyun casts his gaze around the other beds where the remaining victims lay comatose, he didn't have to look actually because he had pored over the images earlier in the car over to the hospital.

He nods, “Dark magic...” Baekhyun licks his lips, throat dry at the revelation. He hesitates, “Do, maybe it's...”

“A Death Eater?” Kyungsoo interrupts, his voice suddenly icy.

Baekhyun frowns, “...It has to be, right? Dark magic is always tied to a Death Eater.”

“Yes because the knowledge of Dark magic is only bereft to followers of the Dark Lord. No one else.”

His frown deepens and he turns to face Kyungsoo, seeing the cold expression on his face. Baekhyun reaches out, “Do... it's no—”

“Save it.” Kyungsoo sets his jaw and whips his head around to address Auror Abbot with a line of questions about the victims' conditions, are they stabilised, was there any difficulty.

The doctor answers Kyungsoo's questions with clarity and Baekhyun half-listens, teeth still nibbling on his bottom lip in thought. In all of their previous cases, Dark magic has always been tied to a Death Eater. Why would Kyungsoo be angered at such an assumption? Unless...

Baekhyun shakes his head of the idea. The man escaped the wrath of the war and wasn't associated with the Dark Lord's followers in any way other than his unfortunate father, which doesn't mean _he's_ loyal as well. If anything, it's quite the opposite. And yet, Baekhyun can't figure out why the assumption had garnered such a reaction.

Afterwards (with a promise to meet at the Ministry once again tomorrow morning), they return to their shared hotel room with Kyungsoo heading straight into the bathroom without a single glance back.

Baekhyun sighs as the door shuts close in his face and orders room service for their dinner. He isn't feeling particularly hungry but they haven't eaten much throughout the day and he can practically hear Chanyeol yelling at him in the ear. Chanyeol would hardly yell at anyone, not even a fly but if anyone isn't taking care of themselves, he would turn a shade of red.

Just the thought of it makes him miss Britain and his flat and his friends. There's a floo connection in the fireplace situated in the sitting room, Baekhyun aches to make a floo call to Chanyeol to feel some familiarity but he stamps down on the urge mainly because Chanyeol would make fun of him for breaking down on his first day.

The room service soon arrives and Baekhyun lingers in the sitting room, unsure if he should go ahead. There's a layer of grime on his skin that he's dying to wash off first before diving into dinner and just as he has half a mind to knock on the bathroom door, it slides open, revealing Kyungsoo fully clothed with his hair still damp.

Baekhyun swallows and looks away, he's never seen Kyungsoo so... _casual._ It's always scarlet robes, dark robes, and even in disguises, Kyungsoo is donning a jumper over a buttoned shirt and slacks (which is a sight, Baekhyun supposes). Since they hardly see each other outside of a work setting, Baekhyun has never had the opportunity to see Kyungsoo in a casual attire. There's of course, Hogwarts but all Baekhyun remembers is the Slytherin tie straightened, an emerald jumper and robes swallowing Kyungsoo whole. During Hogsmeade visits, he hardly diverted to anything else; still a jumper and tailored trousers with a coat.

No matter what, Kyungsoo always seems so uniformed, _proper,_ hardly a hair out of place. It could be the Pureblood in him, Baekhyun can't honestly relate as he's always deemed the troublemaker in his family, the rebel though it never really held any resentment against him. It's always with a touch of fondness; _the rebel of the family, that one,_ his mother would say.

However, with Kyungsoo, Baekhyun can only presume that there's a line of traditions and principles and all sorts of morals to heed. The Do's has always seemed like a quiet, mannered family up until the war of course with the true colours bleeding out unpleasantly. Baekhyun, himself, learnt that there's a lot of hatred, a lot of bigotry and a lot of ignorance in silence too.

He shakes his head inwardly, now is not the time to get into that, so he lets his eyes drift back to his Auror partner and... settle on the domestic sight. The way Kyungsoo's fringe hangs loose instead of gelled back from his face, the softness of his jaw, the way his sweat pants rides low on his hips with a peek of briefs. Baekhyun inhales sharply.

“You ordered room service?”

Baekhyun looks up immediately, a tinge of mixed shame and guilt undoubtedly seen on his face but he hopes Kyungsoo doesn't notice. “Uh, yeah. I just ordered the specials from the dinner menu. You can go ahead and eat first?”

Kyungsoo nods, checking the food. Baekhyun put them under a stasis spell to maintain the warmth. While Kyungsoo slowly fills a plate from both of the mains, leaving some for Baekhyun, the latter grabs his toiletries and a fresh change of clothes and heads into the bathroom for a quick shower for the night.

When Baekhyun returns, he sees Kyungsoo sitting on the couch, lightly flipping through the case files and notes with the muggle contraption; television playing on a low volume. After setting his toiletries aside and grabbing a plate of food too, Baekhyun quietly settles down a notable distance away, his eyes drifting from the moving imagery on the screen to the files to Kyungsoo.

“I'm sorry for earlier,” Baekhyun says.

“What for? You spoke the truth,” Kyungsoo readily answers, not losing a beat in reading the papers in front of him. If Baekhyun hadn't been watching Kyungsoo, hadn't known him for years whether it be as a schoolmate or Auror partner, he would've thought of Kyungsoo's tone as nonchalant.

Though, Baekhyun does know him well. Well enough to see right through that facade, a mask that once fooled him in his younger days but he's an adult now, they're both adults. They're past pretence.

“Listen, I know that not all Dark wizards are Death Eate—”

“Do you, Byun? Because it seems that your knowledge is limited as such.”

Baekhyun takes a deep breath, putting his plate away. A pool of anger rises up in his throat at the interruption, at Kyungsoo's stubbornness. He lets it simmer for a bit and grits his teeth, “Do, I'm trying to apologise here.”

“Are you?” Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, glancing at him for a second before turning back to the papers. He sighs loudly, “I don't care what you fucking think. We're in Paris to solve a case so let's focus on that.”

Baekhyun bites back a retort, _it seems like you care a whole fuck ton,_ and shuffles closer to pick up a few of the papers. There's no statements from any on-lookers seeing as they're all Obliviated and placed in a coma to stabilise their health. The doctor had mentioned that sometimes their heartbeat fluctuates and the nurses rush to stabilise them. Baekhyun can only assume that that's the work of Dark magic slowing down the recovery.

“Do you have an idea of the curse?” Baekhyun asks, fixated on a picture of the scar, he had assumed it was the proximity and strength of an Obliviate but in person, it looked like a cluster of webs; the clear sign of any Dark magic involved. There's something familiar about it but he can't put a finger to it.

Kyungsoo purses his lips, “I have a guess.”

“Well?”

“I'm not sure of the incantation but I've seen it in a few books. The curse works as a slow, torturous Dark magic, overtaking the system, attacking the vital organs,” Kyungsoo looks slightly spooked as he explains. “If we were to overdo the Obliviation on the victims, the Dark magic will slow down their recovery. We have to find a counter for the Dark spell first.”

Baekhyun slumps forward, “Well this is fucking stellar. We don't have a Dark magic specialist.”

“We could...try looking into potions,” Baekhyun turns around, eyebrows raised. Kyungsoo merely shrugs. “It's possible and it's probably a better solution to a counter spell.”

“So a Potions master, we have to look for?”

Kyungsoo looks a little hesitant, twiddling his thumbs. “I suppose... _I_ could help with that.”

Baekhyun blinks. “How?”

“I did want a Potions mastery at one point so I indulged in a lot of research. I have a few ideas in mind right now actually, I just need... to examine the magical reports first and...go from there.”

A memory of Kyungsoo always excelling in Potions class flashes through Baekhyun's eyes, _of course._ Kyungsoo had quite a natural talent for Potions and when they dealt with Potions in cases, his knowledge is unbeaten, providing advice and sharing insights with the Potioneers in the department.

“Alright,” Baekhyun nods, returning to pore over the details. A thought hits Baekhyun, Chanyeol's words returning to his mind and he figures it's an opportunity if anything, to ask. “Also, I didn't know you knew how to speak French.”

Baekhyun watches Kyungsoo's reaction as his face shutters down into an unreadable expression. “Yeah,” he replies with a casual shrug. “My mother and I lived in France during the war, picked up on it along the way.”

“Your accent is quite impeccable,” Baekhyun recalls the raspy tone Kyungsoo adapted, the shivers down his spine at the way he curled his tongue around the harshness of the vowels. “You could easily pass off as a local.”

Kyungsoo chuckles, the hardened expression from earlier slipping away. Baekhyun smiles lightly and turns away to hide it in a case file. “Are you praising me, Byun?”

“Hardly,” Baekhyun says. Then, he takes the jump. “Couldn't we have stayed at your temporary home?”

“Uh...” Kyungsoo turns a little uncomfortable and Baekhyun considers saying that it's _no big deal,_ but he surprises Baekhyun by answering, “It's an abandoned house right on the outskirts of the city. I...”

Kyungsoo sighs, and Baekhyun notices that his fingers are lightly shaking, gripping the file. “I wouldn't want to go back there.”

Baekhyun waits and when a few beats of silence pass, he lets the topic go, knowing that Kyungsoo is not up to sharing about that year away from Britain, hiding from the war. He quickly changes the conversation, going through their notes and adding their insights on the Dark spell used on the victims. The tension in Kyungsoo's shoulders eases after a while and the closed off expression he had lifts away to a look of pure concentration. They fall into that routine of theirs; bouncing theories off each other, darting down any notable details, listing more things to do pertaining the case, insulting each other's intelligence.

As Baekhyun scribbles down the description of the scar he saw earlier, Kyungsoo speaks up, bluntly. “I never thought I'd be back here, honestly.”

Baekhyun pauses, his quill hovering over the parchment, dripping ink blots over his last word. He doesn't look up, merely replying in a casual voice, “Is it hard to come back here?”

“I'm not sure.”

He hums, continuing the line of sentence on the parchment. “Did it feel like home to you?”

“I thought it was going to be home for a while,” Kyungsoo says. Baekhyun watches him from his peripheral vision, the tense line of his jaw, his gaze cast downwards. His throat works visibly, “I'm glad it isn't.”

His words drift into the atmosphere and Baekhyun lets it be, humming a soft melody. Slowly, he sees Kyungsoo relaxing and leaning across the table to sift through other files. The moment of honesty passes like a figment of Baekhyun's imagination but he's secretly pleased, his mind works at the words Kyungsoo has uttered with wonder in his heart, a curiosity and greed for more.

The small ball of homesickness slowly withers away in Baekhyun's heart as the night falls upon them. Paris looks dazzling out the windows of the hotel room they're in but Baekhyun has his eyes elsewhere. As Baekhyun glances at Kyungsoo, lounging back in his night clothes, a few strands of his hair falling into his eyes, and babbling away on his explanation of the potions he had in mind, a tightness settles in his heart instead.

Home is always within his reach, fear is there to pull him back from it.

“Hold on,” Kyungsoo speaks up suddenly, a hand shooting out to point at something on screen. “Could you focus on that point?”

The muggle policeman frowns at the sudden command but doesn't say much. Baekhyun leans in next to Kyungsoo – a whiff of pears and peppermint filing his senses – and follows the line of his direction. It takes him a moment to see the significance of what seems to be merely a shadow in the corner. The imagery moves and the shadow reveals itself to be a stranger. Baekhyun can make out the figure moving a hand down to their sides and he _knows_ that movement all too well.

“Do you see it?” Kyungsoo whispers, his breath hitting the shell of his ear. _Too close,_ Baekhyun thinks and he bites down on his lip, nodding in answer.

Baekhyun refrains from letting his gaze flit over to Kyungsoo lest he will never look away. It almost feels like the universe is testing him after last night. They were instructed to wear disguises once more for the trip to meet the muggle law enforcement and Baekhyun was expecting the same jumper and slacks that Kyungsoo continuously wore through their previous disguised endeavours. Instead, he was faced with a whole different sight; a crisp, linen buttoned shirt and tailored trousers hugging Kyungsoo's figure with the first two buttons of his shirt deftly opened. Baekhyun had gaped for a second before arranging his features into an unaffected expression before Kyungsoo could notice, still his eyes kept betraying him.

He taps back into reality, focusing on the imagery before him. “Shall we visit this particular alley?”

The policeman chuckles, “We've been there and there isn't much to see. Just a dirty, run-down alley.”

Kyungsoo glances at Baekhyun before turning to the policeman and Auror Abbot. “We'd still like to see it for ourselves, if you don't mind.”

An annoyed expression flits over the policeman's face and he nods before murmuring under his breath which Baekhyun catches, “...all these odd detectives... where are they coming from...”

After a chat with the muggle law enforcement, they discovered that there is a connection stringing them together; they were all last seen at the same back-alley. All of the victims' last whereabouts are confirmed to be the same, seen on the surveillance cameras, but just as quickly they appear on the camera, they seem to disappear into somewhere that is not visible. It baffled the policemen and Baekhyun just as well when he first saw it but after Kyungsoo's neat observation, there is after all the works of a wizard involved.

They quickly travel to the back-alley seen in the surveillance camera and Baekhyun startles immediately, turning to Kyungsoo but the latter places his hand on Baekhyun's wrist, tugging him back with a whispered, _“Shush, be quiet.”_

In the camera, they weren't able to see anything beyond a tightly-woven corridor with a few cluttered trash bins. There was hardly any space for anything else other than a singular person walking through. Now, though, as they are directed to the site, Baekhyun sees a sign on a backdoor that wasn't seen in the footage earlier. His eyebrows furrow, there would've been a peek of it in the footage.

The revelation hits him.

He casually looks over at the muggle policeman and nods at the back-alley, “This is it?”

The policeman nods, “Right there. And on the right turn, all the victims seem to just... vanish just to be found in their homes hours later injured and confused.”

Confused is one way to put it and Baekhyun reassess the small alley. “Thanks for your help, we'll take over from here.”

“...Right,” the policeman backs away. “Good luck.” And he leaves the trio there.

Once the rumbling of the police car drives off a distance away, Kyungsoo turns to Auror Abbot, “You've never visited?”

Auror Abbot looks guilty, “Unfortunately, not. And the pair of Aurors on the case previously didn't either or else they 'd mentioned.”

Head Auror Robards wasn't kidding about the French Aurors; they were in dire need of help. To visit the site of crime is always a number one priority, to peruse the area and catch anything that the muggle law enforcement might have missed out.

They head down the alley, nearing the backdoor with the sign. As they close in, it reads out as _The Green Dragon_ in a swirly font, a small, silvered dragon rippling over the words. Baekhyun leans in to try to hear anything beyond but it's quickly proven fruitless. He checks the surroundings quickly and discreetly sets upon a few diagnostic charms which revealed that the place isn't open at this time, there's no persons beyond the door.

“Looks like a Slytherin establishment to me,” Baekhyun jerks his chin at the signage.

Kyungsoo lets out a small snort next to him, stepping up to the small set of steps outside the door. The afternoon sun is low at this time of the day, a passing fall breeze mussing up Kyungsoo's lightly gelled back hair. Sunlight shifts over the planes of his face, the dark brown of his doe eyes lightening in curiosity, following the movement of the dragon on the signage. Baekhyun forces himself to study the sign as well, silently praising the charmwork.

It's clearly a Wizard establishment, seeing how the muggles can't see it, only noting ruins at the alley. This pinpoints the entrance or departure in this case of the wizard found in the footage. It's directly at the area where Kyungsoo caught the shadowy figure. Though, something is nagging at Baekhyun's mind.

“...How exactly does the wizard know if their victim of choice is of a wealthy background?”

“I've thought about that as well,” Auror Abbot confesses.

“There's a list of possibilities; perhaps this is a more in-depth work of crime which suggests studying the victims before striking,” Kyungsoo says. He faces Auror Abbot, “Do you know anything of this place?”

“I've never seen anything Magical this far out in the city. I'll look into it at the Ministry.”

Baekhyun nods in agreement, “It's about time we get back. We've yet to meet our Obliviator.”

“Byun Baekhyun!”

Baekhyun whips his head around at the exclaimed shout of his full name and lights up. “Minseok? They sent you here?”

The man – Minseok – strides up to them, blond hair bright under the fluorescent lights of the French Ministry. He smirks amiably at Baekhyun, “Why do you sound so disappointed?”

Baekhyun swats away at Minseok's arm playfully, eyes crinkling when the latter clutches onto his arm in mock hurt. “I'm _surprised._ I thought they'd send Changmin seeing your streak ...of failures.”

“Listen, kid,” Minseok waggles a finger in Baekhyun's face in warning. “I'm just as competent!”

“There's no proof of it yet,” Baekhyun cheekily grins at Minseok and turns to introduce his two companions. “Minseok, meet Auror Abbot, the French Auror assigned on the case, and Auror Do, my par—”

Minseok shakes Auror Abbot's hand in greeting and interrupts Kyungsoo's introduction, “Ah yes, your infamous Auror boy.”

“Have you been hanging out with Jongdae?” Baekhyun spits out at the same time as Kyungsoo's amused remark, “Why does everyone assume me as _his_ Auror boy?”

In the midst of this, Baekhyun catches Auror Abbot's raised eyebrows in amusement as well and she shakes her head in light laughter. Baekhyun feels his face warming in abashment. When he gets back to Britain, the first thing he'll do is tug Jongdae into a headlock and send in his resignation to the Ministry so that he won't infiltrate any more Ministry workers with such... ideas.

“Don't worry, Auror Do. Baekhyun's just as much as _your_ Auror boy too,” Minseok says with that teasing lilt to his voice. The glint of mischief in his eyes is unmissed and Baekhyun groans.

“I really do wish Changmin came instead.”

“I'll let him know that you missed him,” Minseok grins. “So, what do you have for me? I heard this case is especially complicated.”

“Complicated barely covers it,” Auror Abbot says, leading them down the corridor to an empty room with a long desk and a few chairs. She locks the door behind them and launches into an explanation of the case for Minseok, letting him know of the progression. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo pipes up with their own newfound observations and theories.

Once they've finished with Minseok looking over the anatomical pictures of the victims, Baekhyun says, “I think you should head over to help with the magical report. They're doing fine but maybe you'd like to lend a helping hand?”

Minseok hums, “I was about to ask the same thing, really.” He traces the same scar that Baekhyun couldn't keep his eyes off. “You mentioned that this is likely a work of a Dark spell infused with an Obliviate?”

Baekhyun grimaces, “It doesn't show clearly on the muggle picture but when you see the victims in person, it's quite hard to miss. Only scars from Dark magic are described as such.” He gestures to the note Kyungsoo had written on the scars after they shared the same observation from the hospital.

“Fixing the Obliviation is already going to be hard,” Baekhyun feels a note of sympathy for Minseok because that's quite an understatement, seeing how the victims can't even remember their names. “Now, there's Dark magic involved?”

Kyungsoo nods, “I do advise against returning their memories because surely, the Dark magic will slow down the recovery or even worse, halt it completely. It's best to handle the Dark spell first.”

“You wrote down potions here,” Minseok points out. “Are you bringing in a Potions master then?”

“Ah, no,” Baekhyun pipes up, nudging Kyungsoo lightly with his shoulder. “Auror Do here will be handling the potions front.”

Kyungsoo looks mildly embarrassed to have all eyes fixed on him suddenly and the tips of his ears redden further when Minseok sputter, “Are you sure?”

“Hey! Now, who's implying incompetence?”

Minseok flicks his gaze over to Baekhyun's offended expression and laughs, “Sorry, didn't mean to insult _your_ Auror boy.” He adds in a wink, “I'm sure he's multi-talented.”

_Fuck Minseok,_ Baekhyun considers hitting him with a Stinging hex under the table but the man was trained as an Auror once and he doesn't really want to take his chances. So he settles with trying to cool his embarrassment and focusing on the case.

A quick glance at his right and Baekhyun notices the flush creeping up Kyungsoo's neck, something that he has never seen other than in anger. Kyungsoo clears his throat, “Right. Potions. I've had a few ideas and perhaps we could discuss? I know you're not a Dark magic specialist but...”

Minseok waves it off, “It's fine. I've had my experiences with Dark magic in the old Auror days—” Baekhyun can't help but let out a snort at that, “ _Old Auror days,_ you're revealing your age too much.”

Minseok narrows his eyes at Baekhyun's interruption but ignores him, continuing, “I might be of help. Hopefully. Do these potions you have in mind help the Obliviation?”

Kyungsoo replies, “Kind of? It might prove to help returning the memories with more ease.” Then, he mutters, “Or I hope so, at least.”

“Alright!” Minseok claps, getting to his feet. “We can discuss it on the way to the hospital then?”

Auror Abbot nods, “Auror Do can lead you there, there's a few Healers disguised as nurses there that are working on the magical report. You two can consult them.”

Auror Abbot dashes on with a set of instructions, leaving Baekhyun with her. “Auror Byun and I will check on the Wizarding establishment we found earlier and investigate further.”

“Do say goodbye to your loverboy, will you?” Minseok says to Baekhyun when they're in the corridor, about to separate for their tasks.

Baekhyun lifts his hand, revealing the wand in his grasp. Minseok gasps and Baekhyun warns him, “Be careful, Minseok. One of these days, you might just sprout a tail.”

Minseok turns to Kyungsoo who's biting back the urge to laugh, “Keep a leash on him, alright? He seems too violent for civilisation.”

They turn around to depart as Baekhyun shouts after Minseok, “You're the one who needs a leash once I give you a damned tail!”

Auror Abbot leads him into her office, pointing at her chair with a quick, uttered _geminio_ and effectively giving Baekhyun a place to sit. They pour themselves into investigation, plucking through files and files of Wizarding establishments. It turns out to be useless, as the hours pass with not a single mention of The Green Dragon anywhere. The nature of the place is unknown thus the amount of flicking through different directories in hopes of seeing the name listed as _something._

Two hours in and they both strike off apothecary, bed-and-breakfast, a place of means of staying. Baekhyun is still going through the directory of Wizarding shops, which seems to be quite endless. He can't quite remember the spell to search through the directory effectively and so he's going through it manually. Auror Abbot seems to be at a loss in front of him too, sifting endlessly.

Baekhyun's eyes are about to bulge out and he's quite done with the ordeal really, uncertain of the time that has passed. He's about to cast a _Tempus_ when Auror Abbot shrieks suddenly and Baekhyun jumps to his feet with his wand in his hand.

“Auror Byun, _look!_ ”

Once he realises that there is no incoming danger, Baekhyun straightens up and leans forward to take a glimpse. He follows the line of Auror Abbot's direction and finds _The Green Dragon_ neatly written down as a Wizarding pub.

“We've found it!” Baekhyun exclaims, tapping his wand against the directory to pull up a description of the place. His elation quickly fades though, replaced by a look of perplexity.

“...It's closed down?” Auror Abbot speaks his thought aloud, with the same tone of perplexity that Baekhyun feels. “But...”

“It's too much of coincidence to just be there at the scene of crime!”

Baekhyun bites on his bottom lip, pondering. He runs a hand through his hair. The description states that the pub closed down four years ago due to the lack of traffic and the owners didn't have enough to keep it up and running. The owners, in question, are a pair of wizards that are in their thirties. The description doesn't have a picture which Baekhyun ought to fix, hoping that maybe one of them is close enough to the wizard they saw in the footage.

A thought strikes him, “We didn't check the area out.”

Auror Abbot turns to him, still looking confused, even more so by Baekhyun's comment. “Um... we did?”

“No,” Baekhyun closes his eyes, realising the rookie mistake they made. All that back-handed talk on how the French Aurors worked and he ended up being just as much as an amateur. “We didn't scavenge the area properly. There could be another entrance...”

Auror Abbot's eyes light up, “You reckon?” Then, she stops short. “They're still considered closed though.”

Baekhyun is running down the line of his thoughts, reveling in more possibilities. “Yes but...Auror Abbot, is there a muggle computer here?”

She nods, “We have an area in the Ministry where we head to for any Muggle-related information, sectioned off for the _internet_ to work properly without magic affecting it.” Her head tilts in curiosity, “Why?”

They're so close, so so close to solving it. The case is doomed if he isn't right and he hopes to both Salazar and Merlin that he is. There's no other way.

“Let's check if _The Green Dragon_ is on the internet.”

Auror Abbot comes up with an idea.

After successfully searching for The Green Dragon on the internet, they discovered that it's a gay muggle pub and it's quite popular among the younger generation with its cheap liquor prices, quiet ambience and old music. They spend the rest of the afternoon, searching for more information on the pub. Despite its existence on the internet and the easy access to the information on the pub, there still isn't a picture found of the owners which strikes Baekhyun as odd and further deepens his suspicions.

They discuss on the probability of visiting the pub again in _Glamours_ as a trio and Baekhyun was about to expand on the usage of glamours. He was thinking something along the lines of glamourising themselves for the public eye while maintaining their normal appearance to each other (which was once done in an undercover mission last year) and he turns to explain it to Auror Abbot when she cuts him off.

“I think it's best if you and Auror Do go ahead with the undercover operation.”

Baekhyun blinks, startled. “Why?”

Auror Abbot points at the parchment where they wrote down notes on The Green Dragon. “It's a gay pub. It seems like the most fitting solution for you both is to head in... _as a couple._ ”

“I'm sorry?” Baekhyun sputters, losing his grip on the quill he had been tapping against the table. It clanks to the floor with a light thud.

“There's less room for suspicion, more opportunity to read the room because as a couple, no one will approach you to flirt,” Auror Abbot has a twinkle in her eyes and Baekhyun wonders if it's from her enthusiasm for the case or something else entirely. He doesn't know, his head is spinning. “It just seems like a neat idea. We could discuss with Auror Do.”

A beat of silence goes by as Baekhyun's thoughts spiral down to a whole different place. Imagining. Wondering.

“Well, surely, _you_ do see that this is going to work out better,” Auror Abbot arches an eyebrow at him and he hesitates a little, letting his mind wander on the possibilities. Professionally. How it's going to go down, how it's going to help the case. Yet his heart betrays.

“I suppose...?” Baekhyun shrugs. “I wouldn't mind going undercover as a... _couple._ ”

“But?”

“He's going to disagree to this,” Baekhyun says and he never felt surer in his life.

“You actually think this is going to work?”

Baekhyun watches Kyungsoo stares at Auror Abbot in disbelief. She raises an eyebrow at Kyungsoo and lists down the same reasons that she told Baekhyun earlier. Kyungsoo listens, his doe eyes widening in alarm at Auror Abbot's vigour and enthusiasm. She jabs continuously at the parchments to further emphasise her point.

“It's a perfect excuse to stay together throughout the mission and seek any suspects out,” Auror Abbot finishes her explanation, sounding a little out of breath. Kyungsoo looks just as hesitant as Baekhyun felt earlier and it puzzles him, a quirk of a smile tugging on the corner of his mouth.

“Why, Auror Do, can't handle a little fake dating?” Baekhyun challenges, arching an eyebrow at Kyungsoo.

Something flashes in Kyungsoo's gaze and the line of his jaw hardens. He turns away to address Auror Abbot, “Arrange backup for tomorrow night.”

Auror Abbot answers, reassuring with a pat on Kyungsoo's arm, “I'll be backup.”

Baekhyun can barely pay attention to the discussion on the mission as his gaze fixates on Kyungsoo, unmoving, and the tips of his ears reddening, the hardened expression he's wearing, the clench of his fists by his sides. It's been a while since he's gotten such a rise out of Kyungsoo and it feels utterly refreshing to see flush covering Kyungsoo's neck. Baekhyun itches to inch closer and closer, to hold it against him, to see Kyungsoo's defences slowly fall apart.

His heart races, the thrill of the mission hitting him all at once. Baekhyun can almost hear Chanyeol's voice in his head chiding him. _You've never had a sound mind when it comes to Kyungsoo._

In the middle of the night, Baekhyun unexpectedly rouses from his sleep with his bladder screaming for release. He shuffles quickly to the adjoining bathroom, eyes still bleary, hands fumbling around in the darkness. Breathing out a sigh of relief and feeling a little more awake, he casts a quick _Tempus._

It's close to three in the morning.

Baekhyun rubs at his eyes, padding back to the bedroom when he notices the low-light lamp switched on in the sitting room. He considers for a bit, and heads over to check when he sees Kyungsoo sitting near the lamp with parchments all over the table. There's glasses perched atop the slope of his nose, strands of his hair sticking out, a quill in his hand twirling between fingers.

“Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun says, slowly walking into the room. His voice comes off as a harsh whisper in the dim light and it takes a second for Kyungsoo to look up, his eyes blinking in surprise at the sudden intruder.

“Oh, Byun,” Kyungsoo nods at him. “Sorry about the mess. I'm still looking over the potions formulas.”

Baekhyun nears the couch and sits on the far end. He can vaguely make out the inked writing on the parchments, words that he doesn't really register at such an ungodly hour. Pursuing his lips, he flicks his wand at the cluttered parchments, sifted into neat piles on the table. Kyungsoo jolts at the suddenness and murmurs his gratitude in return, as he glances over at the piles of parchments with an appraising look.

“How do you sleep?” Baekhyun asks.

“Huh?”

Baekhyun jerks his chin over to the bedroom where their two beds are. He never thought about it but he realises that he never really saw Kyungsoo falling asleep; it's always Baekhyun heading to bed first and waking up later. “Is it comfortable?”

Kyungsoo shrugs, turning back to studying the written notes. “It's fine.”

Baekhyun leans forward, slowly encircling his fingers around Kyungsoo's wrist, halting him in his revision. Warmth immediately seeps through the proximity, Kyungsoo's skin soft under his touch. Kyungsoo jumps a little in his seat, turning to address Baekhyun with a look of apprehension.

A reassuring smile, prompting Kyungsoo further, “You can tell me anything, you know?”

Kyungsoo glances downwards at Baekhyun's fingers lightly tracing patterns on his skin. His voice softens, “You called me Kyungsoo, did you realise that?”

Baekhyun chuckles, swiping his thumb across Kyungsoo's pulse on the underside of his wrist. “A momentary memory loss, I suppose.”

“I'm not surprised,” Kyungsoo exhales shortly. He drops the parchment on top of a pile and covers Baekhyun's hand on his wrist, brushing over his knuckles. “Being here reminds me of my late mother.”

Baekhyun tilts his head, leaning in closer to Kyungsoo. His thigh nudges against Kyungsoo's, wrapping both of them in warmth on the autumnal night. He wasn't expecting Kyungsoo to relent, give in, but late nights in foreign places do tend to make others feel out of place. He thinks of train journeys and school days, and he leans his weight slightly on Kyungsoo in hopes that he doesn't feel as alone.

“My condolences,” Baekhyun whispers and he means it. “I hadn't known.”

“It's not quite a big deal,” Kyungsoo says, but he shoots a small smile at Baekhyun; a soft quirk with gratitude along the curl of his lips. “I tend to dream of her often. It's usually her laughter, the light in her hair, but lately...”

“I've been dreaming of pained, hoarse shouts in the night.”

Baekhyun grips onto Kyungsoo's wrist tighter.

“It's really okay. I just...” Kyungsoo lets out a shaky laugh, Baekhyun's heart sinks. “Sometimes I feel so alone. It's stupid, isn't it? My father's in Azkaban, my brother and mother are gone.”

An ache resides in Baekhyun's heart, the war has long became a taboo topic between them so to hear Kyungsoo opening up to him... his words ring too close to his heart and there's flashbacks recurring in his mind. There are words of comfort at the tip of Baekhyun's tongue but from years of living, studying Kyungsoo from a distance and even in close proximity, he knows it's not what the man wants.

“I lost my brother to the war.”

Kyungsoo looks up at Baekhyun but he is staring at their hands somewhat intertwined, focusing on the feel of Kyungsoo's fingers running across his knuckles rhythmically. He hasn't voiced this out loud ever since two years ago where it's still a fresh wound, only Chanyeol and Jongdae had seen the worst of his days.

“He's still in St. Mungo's, the Healers tried their best to fix his mind but being tortured endlessly by _crucio_ really damaged him,” Baekhyun says.

He can still remember the memory of watching his brother fighting off the Healers, screaming out as they bounded him for his safety, his mother's small, frail body breaking out in sobs next to him.

“My mother has since dedicated her life to visiting him constantly,” Baekhyun confesses, closing his eyes briefly. “Our family used to be lively, our home was home to blooming orchards and endless pranks by my brother and I. Now, I sold the house and bought my mother another nearer to St. Mungo's.”

Silence wraps around them but it's not at all tense, they fall into the comfort of it, the ease, the unhurried state of the night. He has felt loneliness for years since the war, the nightmares troubling his sleep from time to time, and while Kyungsoo has never bore the scars from the war, he has differently shaped scars, trauma all the same.

“Come to bed?” Baekhyun asks softly. “Do you need dreamless sleep?”

Kyungsoo smiles, shaking his head. “No, I have some in my possession. I'll take it in a few.”

From the windows, curtains swept aside, there's the blinking lights of Paris, inciting hope in him.

Baekhyun presses his thumb insistently against Kyungsoo's pulse, finding comfort there, his heartbeat in tandem with his own. “For what it's worth, I hope you don't ever have to feel alone again.”

The entrance to the pub reveals a space illuminated in a yellowish glow, the interior is dated to the 80's with the vintage wallpaper plastered all over. It's hardly a place for the younger generation and yet, it's filled with bright-eyed, young faces and light chatter. The music feeds the vintage aesthetic with a melodious voice singing of the olden days, the clear breeze and unrequited love.

Baekhyun slips in easily, throwing a casual nod to the guard at the door after he verified his age. He's glamoured as a much younger European man so that he can blend into the crowd, Auror Abbot was the one who took upon herself to choose their disguises. As his eyes adjust to the low light, he feels a hand lightly caressing his. He startles a little, turning to see his Auror partner sidling next to him.

“Should we get a drink?” Kyungsoo murmurs, leaning into Baekhyun, his gaze sweeping over the area with barely concealed curiosity.

Right. The _act._

Baekhyun swallows, nodding. He grips onto Kyungsoo's hand a little tighter and tugs him towards the bar where they take their seats on the stools. He calls for a beer because that's what he usually goes for at muggle pubs, he's quite lightweight as it is when it comes to firewhisky. Kyungsoo quietly orders for a neat whisky instead and the drinks arrive fast enough.

Taking a long gulp from his beer, feeling the alcohol dizzy his senses a little, Baekhyun catches Kyungsoo's eye, sliding a glance to the bartender, jerking his chin subtly. Kyungsoo arches an eyebrow before placing his glass of whisky down on the coaster.

“ _Ç'est un bien pub,”_ Kyungsoo says to the bartender whom is wiping down the counter. He grunts in reply and Kyungsoo continues in his raspy, accented French, tugging on the strings of Baekhyun's heart, sinking heavier in his gut than the alcohol he's consuming. _“_ _Le propriétaire est ici?”_

The bartender looks all too grumpy at the conversation but he contributes still, pointing the rag he'd been wiping with at the booths further in the pub half dimmed in darkness. _“Il est là.”_

“ _Merci.”_

Kyungsoo takes another sip from his glass before moving to get up but Baekhyun tugs him down by the collar of his navy shirt. He stiffens, turning to shoot Baekhyun a look of confusion. Tilting his head, his doe eyes are bright in the dim light. Baekhyun's once again glad for the charm only working on everyone else, letting him see through the Glamour Kyungsoo has on.

Baekhyun traces Kyungsoo's collar with his fingertips, tugging him towards him, causing Kyungsoo to slightly stumble on his stool and fixate him with an annoyed look. Baekhyun laughs, closing the small yet notable distance between them. Kyungsoo's eyes flash, the annoyance dying on his expression, shifting to something else entirely that Baekhyun can't decipher well in the low light.

When Baekhyun closes in, a mere few inches away, Kyungsoo whispers. “What are you doing?”

Kyungsoo's breath hits directly against Baekhyun's cheek. His gaze sweeps over Baekhyun's face, searching and searching. He hopes his heart isn't written all over, hopes his racing heartbeat stays within his ribcage.

“Acting,” Baekhyun smiles, lightly fingering the collar in his grasp. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at him, forcing a chuckle out of him at the wary expression. “Scared, Do?”

Kyungsoo is always a delight when he's riled up, when Baekhyun presents a challenge that he can't back down from. There's something thrilling about the way he immediately rouses up to the red light Baekhyun blinks at him. And Baekhyun is always chasing after it.

_You've never had a sound mind when it comes to Kyungsoo._

“You wish,” Kyungsoo says. And Baekhyun smirks because that's exactly expected of him.

Baekhyun pulls on the collar, causing Kyungsoo to fall into him, and he presses his lips against Kyungsoo's cheek. The latter tenses at the touch but doesn't move away and Baekhyun smiles, mouthing along his skin, pecking at the corner of Kyungsoo's lips.

Then, Baekhyun whispers, “Nine o'clock. A man from the booth heading out.”

Kyungsoo lets his eyes wander over Baekhyun's shoulder, giving him a subtle nod that is mostly felt rather than seen. Before Baekhyun could pull back, he's halted by Kyungsoo's grip on his wrist, the same hand holding onto his collar. He blinks at the sudden movement, meeting the intensity in Kyungsoo's gaze. There's a question on the tip of his tongue and he parts his lips to voice it out when Kyungsoo shifts to his left.

Then, he kisses Baekhyun.

It barely lasts a second, mostly a light press of his lips on Baekhyun's but it dizzies his head enough. When Kyungsoo moves away, gaze elsewhere, Baekhyun stares at him in disbelief. His lips are tingling, the brief taste of whiskey tainted on his tongue.

“Let's go,” Kyungsoo drags Baekhyun off the stool, leaving their drinks at the counter. Baekhyun follows after helplessly, with his mind still spiraling and his heart thumping too loudly over the slow, melodious beat of the music.

“Wait, wait, what's going on?” Baekhyun tugs Kyungsoo back, digging into the heels of his shoes when he sees that Kyungsoo is leading them out of the pub from the back.

Kyungsoo glances over his shoulder, not stopping, “I saw him walk past here.”

Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows, darting his gaze from the bar to the door they're heading towards. “Is that why you kissed me?”

An eyebrow raise, Kyungsoo smirks with a playful glint in his eyes. Baekhyun loses his breath momentarily. “No.”

Before Baekhyun can respond, he's tugged further out of the pub. The faint smell of smoke causes him to crinkle his nose. He's still staring at the back of Kyungsoo's head so he barely catches it; a glimpse of something...someone vanishing into thin air. He immediately jolts out of Kyungsoo's grip, turning to his left where he had seen it.

Baekhyun rushes forward, staring at the spot where something vanished before his eyes, then he scans the area. Taking a few steps and it's revealed to be the same, narrow back-alley they were at yesterday. He finds the surveillance camera a few meters away, too far to have caught the supposed apparation on footage.

“Did you manage to get a good look on who it is?” Baekhyun whirls around to ask Kyungsoo who's staring at the spot.

He hesitates before nodding, “It's a bit dark in there but I can discern his features enough.”

Baekhyun checks the surroundings once more before moving down the alley, far out of the reach of the surveillance camera just to be sure. He slips his wand out of his sleeve, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He casts _expecto patronum,_ opening his eyes to see his Patronus swirling in the air. It materialises before him with its tail curling around his feet.

“Tell Auror Abbot to call off the mission for tonight. We had a quick sneak peek of the suspect and will try again tomorrow night.”

The silvery fox quickly turns and runs off into the night, vanishing into wisps of white light. Baekhyun breathes out a sigh, slumping forward. He feels Kyungsoo next to him and notice him waving his wand at himself, then Baekhyun's.

He raises an eyebrow, “Glamours?”

Kyungsoo nods, then looks away to glance back at the dead signage of The Green Dragon a few steps away. “That was a bust.”

In the moment, Baekhyun remembers what conspired inside and he feels the warmth creeping up his neck. The moonlight is kind on the planes of Kyungsoo's face and Baekhyun's gaze is transfixed on the plump lips he had felt earlier on his own lips.

His heart aches.

“Tomorrow night,” Baekhyun says as a promise.

He can still taste the whisky and he longs for the abandoned beer on the bar counter, to drink his body weight in alcohol and lose himself in plump, pinked lips.

They're wearing different Glamours this time. Auror Abbot decided that the change has to be constant, there's no need to rouse suspicion. When they reviewed the details of the previous night, Auror Abbot had asked about a Pensieve and Baekhyun refused immediately, feeling a little too warm at the visual. Instead, both of them went into great, extensive detail on what went down or in actuality, what _didn't._

Baekhyun had feared disappointment at first but Auror Abbot assured them that the case is already progressing at a pace that is deemed impossible for the French Ministry. The trio agreed that preparation for the next night spent at The Green Dragon was necessary.

And so, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are situated in one of the booths, bodies pressed closely together for the facade. Baekhyun can hear faint whispered words of... well, at the booth behind them. He glances at Kyungsoo for a second, his mind providing the unnecessary imagination, and clears his throat. Slipping his wand a little into his grasp, he discreetly puts up a _muffliato_ and a _notice-me-not_ in case of anyone passing by and deciding to pay attention to them.

“Do you reckon the owner is here somewhere?”

Kyungsoo frowns, his eyes perusing the pub ever since they stepped in ten minutes ago. “I haven't seen him. Perhaps, he's off doing business.”

Baekhyun plays with the condensation on his beer bottle. This time, he had asked for a chilled beer. “Well, I certainly hope we catch him tonight. Can't afford to stay here any longer really.”

“Why, Byun, is Paris not to your liking?” Kyungsoo teases. Baekhyun looks up to see amusement lingering in Kyungsoo's irises.

_No, it's too much being here with you._ Baekhyun smiles despite himself, “I haven't seen Paris actually. It's been the Ministry and this pub.” He sighs dramatically, leaning his cheek against the palm of his hand, blinking at Kyungsoo. “If Paris is this boring, then I'd rather stay in London.”

Kyungsoo nudges him, sweeping a thumb across his cheek. _Right, the facade._ His eyes soften at him. “Maybe I could show you Paris.”

“You mean somewhere you could duel me to death?”

“Byun, you do know that I don't hate you right?” Kyungsoo suddenly says seriously. His eyes are searching Baekhyun's face and he isn't sure what he's trying to seek. Baekhyun has his heart in his throat, then Kyungsoo continues. “I don't think I've ever hated you.”

Baekhyun swallows around the lump in his throat, feeling ultimately warm even when he's sipping on cold beer all night. It's the alcohol in his system, he's sure. “I don't believe you.”

Kyungsoo blanches but he quickly tries to mask it with an expressionless look. Baekhyun, however, has been watching him half his life. “Why not.”

Baekhyun tears his eyes away. There's a million reasons he wants to say; you're hot and cold, you're always reeling back _, you look at me like you see me and I don't know how to feel._ Back during Hogwarts days, it was easier to perceive their relationship as mere acquaintances that quickly came to a halt when Kyungsoo sided with the... _wrong_ company in Slytherin. There came a lot of tension between them, headbutting in school corridors, Baekhyun striking out like a wrongly footed Slytherin with Gryffindor friends, Kyungsoo fuelling the tension with his cold, mean words.

But then, the war and thereafter where Baekhyun joined the Auror force, fate intertwining with Kyungsoo's once again. He held so strongly to the hatred he had felt momentarily in Hogwarts like a remnant of the past that he was stubborn to move on from. It quickly simmered down to exhaustion and a truce. And now, he's here, sharing body warmth with Kyungsoo in a pub on a mission and he still doesn't believe Kyungsoo when he says that he doesn't hate him.

It's the stubbornness in Baekhyun's heart. It's easier to hate rather than face the truth of his desires.

“I was hardly nice to you,” Baekhyun replies instead. “There must be a bit of hatred in your heart still,” he says with a little desperate edge.

Kyungsoo stares at him for a moment. Then, he leans in, so close, so suddenly that Baekhyun startles in his seat. He presses into Baekhyun, his cheek nudging against Baekhyun's briefly, mouth ghosting over the shell of Baekhyun's ear, then, “The owner. He's nearing us.”

Baekhyun inhales deeply, the scent of pear and peppermint filling his nostrils. They stay like that for a bit until Kyungsoo leans back a little so that their faces align. His gaze is fixed beyond Baekhyun's shoulder, eyes persistent on the suspect, while Baekhyun tries to tamper down the fast pace of his heart, tries to think around Kyungsoo's scent overwhelming him.

For a second, Kyungsoo flits his gaze over to Baekhyun and he can't help himself, he blurts out, “Are you going to kiss me again.”

Kyungsoo blinks, surprised, and then there's a ghost of a smile – like he's _teasing_. “Would you like me to?”

“Um—”

The smirk slips off Kyungsoo's face as his gaze sharpens. The suspect, the mission, the facade, he reminds himself. Baekhyun squints at him, assessing. “Where did he go?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “He's talking to someone.”

“Muggle?”

“Yeah...” Kyungsoo purses his lips, the slightest movement causes Baekhyun's gaze to flicker to his lips. _Salazar._ “Do you think...”

“It's likely he'll head out the back like in the surveillance footage,” Baekhyun says. He jabs at Kyungsoo's shoulder, jerking his chin towards the backdoor, “Shall we?”

They slip out of the booth as discreetly as possible but it's an effort wasted as no one is paying any attention to a couple lounging in the booth. Everyone's here to mingle around or drink in solitary, in a diverse space. As they follow their footsteps from last night, Baekhyun casts a look around the pub, trying to see if there's anything amiss. They had been in such a hurry previously (and the kiss) that Baekhyun didn't properly scrutinise the situation.

Though, no one's looking at the much. Just a glance and moving on. There is the bartender, he catches Baekhyun's eye and holds the gaze for a second before grumpily returning to the task at hand. He frowns, unsure, but before he could ponder on it, Kyungsoo is pulling him out the door and...

Slamming him into the wall next to the exit, enveloping him with his scent, his touch, his _gaze._

Baekhyun feels utterly winded, catching his breath, slowly arching an eyebrow at Kyungsoo. He shoots a look at the arms bounding him against the wall, “Did you bring me out here for this?”

“Perhaps.”

Something out of the corner of his eye catches his attention but a hand slowly tilts his chin upwards and Baekhyun is forced to drag his gaze away to flicker to Kyungsoo's. His eyes meet Baekhyun's briefly, heated, before flitting down to his mouth.

“Surveillance cameras,” Baekhyun simply says.

“What?”

Baekhyun smiles sweetly at him before closing the distance between them and brushing Kyungsoo's lips with every word. Two can play the game. “There's a surveillance camera, did you forget?”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo answers. There's pink painting the apples of his cheeks and Baekhyun restrains himself from planting a kiss there too. He sees a peek of Kyungsoo's wand in his grip, doing a flourish wave over the back-alley, the disillusionment settling in place. “I wasn't thinking of that.”

“I see, are you distracted?”

“A little.”

Baekhyun hums, running a hand down Kyungsoo's chest, to his stomach, to the curve of his waist. His fingers dip into the hollowness of Kyungsoo's hipbone, circling patterns. Kyungsoo tenses, staring at Baekhyun in a mixture of disbelief and darkening lust. Baekhyun lightly tugs Kyungsoo in by his hips, the latter complying without an objection, the action brings a light smirk upon Baekhyun's lips. So yielding under his touch.

He flips them over in a flash, shoving Kyungsoo against the wall, breathing into Kyungsoo's space like he had done to Baekhyun earlier.

“Pay attention, Do,” Baekhyun whispers into Kyungsoo's ear, sensing the latter's shiver at the ghosting breath.

A smile slowly grows on Kyungsoo's lips, all for him, looking utterly fine at the switch of dynamics, not a single peep of fire blazing in his eyes. _Oh_ , it's a different sort, Baekhyun realises. He wants to dive in further, to pull it apart, to see how far he can take, but there's a mission undergoing.

It takes about a minute or two before anything happens.

A man dashes out of the back door, tripping on his feet like a drunkard. Both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo stiffen in fear of discovery but the man doesn't pay them any heed. Baekhyun realises that they are indeed in the middle of their facade so he inches closer to Kyungsoo in disguise of an intimate act in a dimly lit alley all the while keeping an eye on the stranger.

Kyungsoo turns his head into Baekhyun's neck, his breath raising goosebumps along his skin, his nose nudging against his jaw. Baekhyun inhales deeply, trying to not sink right into Kyungsoo. His mind circuits when Kyungsoo presses his lips against his pulse, dragging open-mouthed kisses along his neck. Baekhyun barely reels back the shudder, squeezing his eyes shut briefly.

“The muggle,” Kyungsoo says, or rather, Baekhyun feels it against his skin. “Why is he acting like that?”

Baekhyun has to force his eyes open, his heart almost beating right out of his chest (he's sure Kyungsoo feels it too). Flickering his gaze over to the muggle man, his eyebrows crinkle in further perplexity when he merely stands there, swaying.

“Is it...” Baekhyun squints further, the realisation dawning upon him. “ _Imperius?_ ”

Before Kyungsoo can reply, the door slams open once more to reveal... the suspect. Baekhyun stiffens once more but the disillusionment charm seems to be holding well as even the owner doesn't cast a single glance over. They stay where they are, in a locked embrace, bating. Waiting.

The owner, upon closer inspection, looks to be in his thirties with a scar running down his right eyebrow. The stature of his person seems close to the figure Baekhyun had seen in the camera footage. He observes the man closely as he merely trudges over to the muggle whom is still rooted to the spot, favouring the shadowy areas of the alley, slinking into the shadows in precise, careful moves. The tip of his wand peeking out in his grasp and directing it at the unsuspecting muggle. Baekhyun sees the spell form on his lips, _impe—_

Everything happens at once.

“ _Confundus!”_ Kyungsoo shouts, pointing his wand straight at their suspected man and Baekhyun immediately jumps apart from him, the wand fully in his grasp.

Unfortunately, the hex doesn't hit the man directly, he moves back on time for the hex to miss entirely. Baekhyun groans, trying to flick the hex once more but he keeps getting defected. Kyungsoo closes in and the suspect tries to hit him back.

Baekhyun whips his head around to the muggle man whom is still unaware. He's staring at the duel happening in front of his eyes with a sort of glazed, awed look. He runs over but gets caught with a jelly legs jinx, causing him to stumble and fall to his knees. He winces, whirling around to hit the owner with a wordless _flipendo_.

The owner's eyes narrow at him in fury, spitting out, _“Expelli—”_

“ _Stupefy!” “Impedimenta!”_ Both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo shout at the same time, defecting the owner successfully.

The stunning spell hits him squarely in the chest whilst the impediment jinx slices through with no destination, and he falls sideways, his head hitting the concreted floor with a loud thud. Baekhyun hides a wince. Kyungsoo's stunning spells, when provoked, are unbelievably strong. He's been a victim of it once.

Baekhyun slumps a little in relief, they've caught the suspect. He is about to turn back to the muggle man, relieve him of the imperius charm and possibly call for back-up, when he hears a yell of _sectumsempra._ Out of his peripheral vision, he catches a blast of green heading towards him and he thinks, _this is it for me._

But it gets blocked by a body, a _person._

A hoarse, all too familiar scream, the sign of a successful hex. His heart jumps into his throat, panic laced in Baekhyun's eyes. He turns quickly but he is hit by a blast of blinding light instead, letting out a pained groan.

He presses the palm of his hand against his eyes and blinks the spots of light threatening his vision. It clears and he sees two alarming things at once. The bartender from earlier holding the muggle in a headlock, pressing the tip of his wand at the base of his throat. Terror fills his body, paralysing him to the spot. There's another shout of agony and he flicks his gaze over to see Kyungsoo falling to his knees, holding onto his chest.

He pulls his hand away, trembling, blood smearing the palm of his hand.

The sight of blood bleeds into Baekhyun's vision, all he sees is red. He flicks his wand over at the bartender, snarling, _petrificus totalus_ wordlessly. The bartender widens his eyes in alarm as the spell hits both him and the muggle, sending both of them to the floor, sprawled on top of each other in paralysed shock.

“ _Expelliarmus_ , _”_ Baekhyun spits out to both of the owner and bartender in quick recession, plucking the two hands sailing over to his side out of the air. Then, he rushes over to Kyungsoo, dropping to his knees by his side.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck._ “Don't die on me yet, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun pleads as he tries to peel Kyungsoo's shirt away to reveal the cut underneath. He holds his breath, casting the first aid spells he learnt to clean the blood away.

A laugh rumbles in Kyungsoo's chest, causing him to choke and cough. A splatter of red paints the concreted floor. Baekhyun grips onto Kyungsoo's arm tightly, “Don't move.”

“I'm fine,” Kyungsoo insists but his voice is so soft. His eyes are slipping and Baekhyun shakes his head at him, enunciating every word. “Stay. With. Me.”

Baekhyun is trembling as he tries to cast his Patronus. Inhaling deeply, pulling the happy memory to the front of his mind, he focuses on the blooming orchards, his mother smiling at him, a butterfly chase through the gardens. His fox seeps out of the tip of his wand, turning around to face him with its chin up.

“Tell Auror Abbot that Auror Do is severely injured, backup is needed immediately. Please.”

His fox leaves a cast of silvery wandlight around them as Baekhyun leans over Kyungsoo, checking the wounds. The cuts keep reopening, blood seeping into his shirt, the gashes running deep. Baekhyun chokes, feeling utterly useless as he stares at the gashes lining Kyungsoo's chest messily.

“Why. Why. _Why did you do that?_ ”

“It was aimed at you.”

Baekhyun shakes his head vehemently, flicking his wand over the cuts to wash away the blood once more. He doesn't know the counter-spell for sectumsempra, he doesn't know if there is even any. He looks at Kyungsoo helplessly with tears brimming his eyes.

“You're not supposed to do that!” Baekhyun chides with a choke laced in his voice, betraying his heart. He pushes away a lock of hair from Kyungsoo's forehead, restraining himself from covering the latter with an embrace that will only hurt him further. “Look at you! You're _not_ okay. Fuck, it's cutting deeper. Fuck.”

A hint of a smile graces Kyungsoo's pale face, his hand lightly covers Baekhyun's, stroking his thumb across Baekhyun's knuckles. “It's okay.”

Baekhyun looks at him incredulously, “You're losing too much blood. That's _not_ okay.”

Kyungsoo gives a small shake of his head, the smile deepening a little, his eyes looking a little endearingly lost. An expression that one shouldn't be wearing at the brink of death but Kyungsoo wears it all the same, staring at Baekhyun.

“It's okay if it's me,” Kyungsoo whispers. He gasps, closing his eyes tight, wincing as blood continuously oozes out of the numerous cuts.

Baekhyun whimpers in worry, eyes darting all over, praying for backup to arrive soon. He can't apparate Kyungsoo like this. He can't leave the scene either. Baekhyun desperately shushes Kyungsoo, save his breath, save his energy to be awake with him.

“If...it's you...” Kyungsoo's voice is a harsh, wilting breath, gaze intensified. “I think... it'd be... unbearable.”

Kyungsoo's fingers slackens on Baekhyun's hand, his head hitting the floor with a light thud.

The light leaving his eyes. Closed.

The hubbub of excited, rowdy shouts only built up as the train leaves the station. Everyone were chattering on and on about the castle, showing off each and every wand, and of course, the Sorting.

Baekhyun was shoved in a corner, looking on the ruckus going on with an awed expression. He felt enamoured enough to be in such a noisy cabin even though no one had really talked to him yet, he merely beamed at the sight and munched on the muggle candy his mother knew he was fond of.

His eyes strayed towards the opposite end where another boy sat, quiet as he was, but he had an expression of fear. His gaze was wary and he kept ducking his head in the book he opened for the train journey. If Baekhyun wasn't noticed by the other kids, the other boy was almost invisible by the way they kept nudging into his space without any conscious.

Baekhyun frowned and crossed over, taking the small, teeny space next to the boy. He startled at the sudden intrusion, Baekhyun assured him with a friendly smile. Or he had hoped it was.

The boy just stared at him like he was blowing smoke out of his ears.

“Hi!” Baekhyun greeted amiably. He held the pack of colourful, gummy candy towards the boy. “Want some? I have quite a sweet tooth for these.”

The boy narrowed his eyes at the candy offered to him, then at Baekhyun with suspicion lined around his doe eyes. He looked way younger upon closer inspection, but he had to be at least a first year. Despite the lack of space on the bench, the boy managed to back away a little, as if afraid.

Baekhyun's smile remained, however. He was determined to make friends even if he was a little scared too. His mother had told him that if he took the first initiative to make friends, more people would be willing to know him. He isn't particularly too shy, he just has terrible nerves and tends to be scared of approaching people first.

The boy wasn't budging still, keeping his hands to himself and ignoring Baekhyun entirely.

“It's fine, really,” Baekhyun said kindly. “They're not poisonous! I've been eating them since we left the station. See!” He popped a lime-coloured gummy into his mouth as further proof, sucking lightly on it.

The doe-eyed boy hesitated before looking into the pack of candy, Baekhyun inwardly hooted in victory.

“This... I've never seen this candy before,” the boy pointed out with a raise of his eyebrow, still perusing the pack of candy with a mixed look of wariness and interest. It was an odd mixture but somehow it worked on him.

Baekhyun shook his head, “It's a muggle candy! Awfully addictive.”

The boy crinkled his nose but he gingerly reached in and picked an orange coloured gummy. He held it between his fingertips before slowly popping it in his mouth and hollowing his cheeks.

“Isn't it yummy?” Baekhyun's eyes were bright, anticipating. The boy merely shrugged but he continued sucking on the sweet. At least he didn't look disappointed.

“What's your name? I'm Byun Baekhyun.”

The boy assessed Baekhyun for a bit like he was thinking through something and then, he relented. “I'm Do Kyungsoo.”

Baekhyun nodded, feeling more excited. He was making a friend! He couldn't wait to write it in a letter to his mother. He should take notes on what happened, from his first day till the end of the week, so he won't miss out on anything in his letter.

“Isn't this exciting?” Baekhyun said, feeling the stretch of his smile.

“What is?”

“Being on a train!” Baekhyun exclaimed. He heard there was a tea trolley and lots more sweets to be consumed. His mother would scold him if she knew but he was far, he had coins in his pockets and his weakness for sweet had to be satiated. “I've never been before.”

Kyungsoo shrugged, returning his gaze to the book on his lap. He didn't look as excited about the train as Baekhyun. “You're just on a train, you're going somewhere. What's special?”

Baekhyun leaned in, whispering excitedly. _“That you're going somewhere.”_

Kyungsoo jumped in his seat, almost losing grip on his book. Baekhyun cackled and wore an apologetic smile when Kyungsoo shot him a glare. He fixed the book on his lap roughly, gripping onto the hard edges a little tighter than before. Baekhyun just swung his legs back and forth, humming.

“What house do you want to be in?” Baekhyun asked because that was _the_ question of the hour. He looked on, curious, as Kyungsoo pursed his lips, pondering on it.

“Ravenclaw, I suppose...” Kyungsoo answered, sounding uncertain for some odd reason.

Baekhyun nodded at the book propped open in Kyungsoo's lap, “Like books, don't you?”

A pink flush painted Kyungsoo's cheeks, he turned away suddenly. “A bit.”

“I'm not teasing! I think it's cool,” Baekhyun assured him. His eyes flickered to the book, catching words like _doxy, biting fairy...,_ and lightened in renewed interest. “Is that a book on magical creatures?”

Kyungsoo glanced at the text in his book, traced a finger over the words. His voice was suddenly softened as he replied, “Yeah. I think they're fascinating.”

Baekhyun nodded feverishly, it must be the sugar getting to him. He was feeling all sorts of excitement, the mild fear and anxiety he had when he stepped on the train ebbed away slowly.

“Anyway,” Kyungsoo turned to face him, glanced at the candy for a second and picked another one out; this time it was a purple one. “You didn't say which house you want to be in.”

Baekhyun made a noise of realisation. He paused for a bit, thinking about the houses. He had heard a lot about them actually from his brother, Baekbeom; he is a Hufflepuff. He had tried to read up on the history of the Hogwarts houses but he dozed off in the chair in the house library. His mother had told him stories of her own school days; she is a Slytherin while his late father was from Beauxbatons. There was all the glory, the different personalities, but most importantly, at the end of the day, house unity.

So, Baekhyun really didn't mind any house honestly and he said so to Kyungsoo.

The doe-eyed boy looked at him in disbelief. “No,” he insisted. “You have to choose one.”

Choice, huh? Baekhyun thought of all the four houses. To be brave and chivalrous, to be kind and loyal, to be witty and intelligent, to be cunning and ambitious. He felt like he was a mix of all, almost. He could be anything, he wanted to be everything.

His mother would chide him in that kind voice of hers, for being so greedy.

“Maybe Slytherin,” Baekhyun answered. It felt right for the moment. “My mother is from there.”

Kyungsoo tilted his head at him, “My mother is a Ravenclaw too.”

“Maybe we will follow their footsteps then!”

The train journey continued with more sharing of candy (Kyungsoo bought chocolate frogs from the tea trolley and was bullied into giving Baekhyun one), short conversations on magical creatures and Quidditch (Kyungsoo was a bigger fan of the flying sport than Baekhyun) and comfortable silence with their shoulders nudging against each other.

Nearing the end, as they pulled on their plain dark robes, Baekhyun faced Kyungsoo with fiddling thumbs and a bitten lip.

“If we are sorted in different houses, please be my friend still,” Baekhyun said, eyes wide in plea. Kyungsoo was quiet, nice and a good listener. Even if he seemed to be a little annoyed at how increasingly talkative Baekhyun was, he still listened, nodded along to his words and replied with his own thoughts.

Kyungsoo halted in the middle of tightening his tie loop and fixed Baekhyun with an unreadable expression.

“Well, why should I?”

Baekhyun whined, “I shared my candy with you!”

For the first time since talking to him, Kyungsoo smiled. It wasn't a fully formed smile – more like a ghost of a smile curled on his pink, heart-shaped lips. Still, it had a teasing lilt to it and Baekhyun was surprised to be graced with a smile. Even if he had been too smiley with Kyungsoo. He wasn't expecting it in reciprocation. Kyungsoo stroked him as a person who wouldn't give a smile away too easily, it had its moments.

The castle came into view in the windows, lights reflecting off the Great Lake but Baekhyun's gaze is focused elsewhere.

Kyungsoo brushed his knuckles against Baekhyun's tenderly. “Yes, you're my friend.”

Baekhyun's smile widened, brighter than the floating lanterns by the Great Lake.

“ _It's okay if it's me...”_

“ _If it's you...”_

“ _It'd be unbearable.”_

Something brushes against Baekhyun's knuckles. It's the wind, he thinks, barely awake. Baekhyun crinkles his nose, curling up further into the armchair. It happens again, insistent. Firm. Purposeful.

Baekhyun lets out a small sigh, blearily blinking his eyes open. It must be Auror Abbot coming by again. She dropped by in the early morning, letting him know that the two wizards have been captured and are undergoing interrogation by the French Ministry. She also assured him that paperwork will be overlooked by herself and the potions formulas given by Kyungsoo were in the midst of brewing. All the while casting a glance over the hospital bed with a slight frown.

It's been four days of radio silence. Healers have assured him that Kyungsoo is still in recovery, he had lost so much blood due to the dark spell. Baekhyun was trembling in anger and anxiety, demanding answers for the first night and only receiving pitiful looks. Then, he slumped over in exhaustion in the armchair by the hospital bed.

He hasn't left since.

How could he, really? Auror Robards contacted Baekhyun via the hospital floo, sending his well wishes and congratulating them on another case closed. The words flew by Baekhyun in a mindless, white noise. He merely nodded accordingly and muttered a word of gratitude tonelessly.

Baekhyun passed through the three nights in a blur. It's a mixture of staying awake by Kyungsoo's side, checking his pulse continuously for reassurance, neglecting his own survival necessities.

And telling Kyungsoo how much he misses him. His voice. His intense gaze. His unwavering presence.

Baekhyun has never felt fear like this since the war and the year right after. Even in Auror training and the many cases he had been on, he was never afraid of anything, he took everything in stride, faced everything head-first. It was mostly renewed passion from losing everything in the war. But as he stared at Kyungsoo, fear filled his being.

The fear of losing him, losing the one familiarity, losing _home._

The armchair is starting to feel uncomfortable, he has half a mind to cast another cushioning charm on it. Baekhyun stretches his limbs out, opening his eyes, expecting the sight of Auror Abbot waiting patiently for him to properly waken. It must be morning or close to noon at least.

“Baekhyun?”

“Hmm?” Baekhyun answers automatically, then he freezes.

That's not Auror Abbot's voice.

Baekhyun shoots up in the armchair. Disbelieving, he stares at Kyungsoo whom is looking back at him earnestly, a little glazed and exhausted. He still looks pale but there's faint colour on his cheeks, the light dimmed in his eyes from everything that has happened.

Kyungsoo lightly brushes Baekhyun's knuckles again, whose hand has been resting on the hospital bed in an attempt to reach Kyungsoo in his sleep, and smiles at him. A fully formed, shy smile.

“Hi,” Kyungsoo says. His voice sounds hoarse from days of being unused.

Baekhyun fidgets, immediately getting up and grabbing a glass. He casts a quick _aguamenti_ and lifts it to Kyungsoo's lips. The man shoots a look of gratitude at him before trying to prop himself up on the bed. Baekhyun helps out, fixing the bed, and watches Kyungsoo drink steadily.

“I'll call the Healer,” Baekhyun says, leaving the glass on the side table. He doesn't move however, still staring at Kyungsoo like it's a dream. He stutters in his steps forward, hesitating.

Kyungsoo reaches outwards with a hand and Baekhyun rushes forward to intertwine his fingers through Kyungsoo's. Relief surges through him and he falls, tucking his head into Kyungsoo's neck, inhaling his musky scent and almost crying out.

“Fuck you,” Baekhyun whimpers. He doesn't want to cry, it's stupid. He's been assured endlessly and the Healers have done a good job of reviving Kyungsoo but the past few days of seeing his eyes closed , laying in bed in deep slumber, have been taking the toll out of him. He thought it'd be days, weeks, months till he sees Kyungsoo's bright, doe eyes.

Kyungsoo chuckles but it turns into a half-formed cough. A hand runs through Baekhyun's hair, soothing. “Were you that worried?”

“You almost _died!_ ” Baekhyun reminds him, almost shouting. He turns to look at Kyungsoo, his face is so close and he holds back the urge to ...do anything rash. The man barely awakened.

Kyungsoo stares back at him steadily, bemused. “I know.”

Baekhyun grumbles, moving to pull back from the embrace. Abashment colours his cheeks at his moment of weakness but Kyungsoo isn't letting him go, tightening his grip on Baekhyun's hand. He arches his eyebrows at Kyungsoo, flicking his eyes to their intertwined hands and Kyungsoo's hand now resting on Baekhyun's nape.

“I have to call a Healer,” Baekhyun says.

Kyungsoo doesn't waver, merely nodding. “Okay.”

Baekhyun pointedly directs his gaze to Kyungsoo's hand in his, causing the latter to blush furiously. It's a pretty sight and Baekhyun almost coos but he's interrupted by Kyungsoo, “Use your Patronus to alert them, then.”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes but tries to hide his pleased smile as he tries to conjure his Patronus. It comes easily, and he directs the silvery fox to find the Healer-in-charge and let them know about Kyungsoo's condition accordingly. As his fox drifts away, Kyungsoo chuckles.

“What?”

“Your fox,” Kyungsoo says, gaze fixated on the door where Baekhyun's fox left just a mere second ago. “I've always been in awe of him.”

Baekhyun doesn't know what to say. He doesn't really think much of his Patronus, it was a difficult charm to master and the hardest obstacle to overcome in his Auror training – you can't become an Auror without successfully producing a Patronus. So when, he finally conjured a corporeal Patronus, the fox materialising in front of him, he slouched in a bout of relief and joy at the sight.

“Have you been here the whole time?” Kyungsoo asks suddenly.

Baekhyun shifts, leaning his weight on the bed. Kyungsoo frowns at the movement, tugging Baekhyun further into the bed, moving aside. He stares at the man incredulously but Kyungsoo shrugs, pulling on Baekhyun's hand firmly until he is fully lying down next to Kyungsoo on his cramped, small bed. Every part of Baekhyun's body is touching Kyungsoo's and no matter how far he tries to back away for space, he ends up nudging right against Kyungsoo again.

The warmth is welcoming though and as soon as Baekhyun settles next to him, Kyungsoo sighs in relief, sinking into him. Their interlocked hands lay between them, atop the white blanket. Baekhyun hesitates a second before shifting closer to nose along Kyungsoo's neck, the latter merely hums in content.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun replies, his fingers plucking at the blanket, unwinding a thread or two. “I couldn't possibly leave you alone.”

“That's sweet.”

Baekhyun crinkles his nose, it's sickening how these words, said by Kyungsoo, can tug on the strings of his heart, building a lovesick haze in his mind. He doesn't want to drown in such affirmation, yet here he is, sinking into Kyungsoo's embrace without a single thought.

This must be what Chanyeol warned him of. When has Baekhyun ever had a sound mind when it came to Kyungsoo? From the first train journey to the punches thrown in school corridors to fighting Dark wizards together. When has he ever looked at Kyungsoo without a conflicted mess residing in his heart? When has Baekhyun ever looked at Kyungsoo without noticing all the little things?

When will Baekhyun realise?

“I'm angry at you,” Baekhyun decides. He glares at Kyungsoo, letting fury wash over him instead. It's easier to deal with that than...whatever else. “You shouldn't have taken the hex for me.”

Kyungsoo's smile slips and he tightens his hold on Baekhyun's hand. This isn't normal, Baekhyun thinks.

“I can't let that happen to you,” Kyungsoo confesses. Something flashes in Kyungsoo's eyes, glistening and entirely too much for Baekhyun to decipher. He's entranced however. Kyungsoo's voice drops to a whisper, all too honest and pained. “I wouldn't know how to live with myself if I did.”

Baekhyun's heart aches, throbbing on painfully. Rationality, when it comes to Kyungsoo, has never been within Baekhyun's grasp. He brings their interlocked hands up to his lips and presses an insistent kiss to Kyungsoo's knuckles. Unwavering, still, endeared. His eyes hold Kyungsoo's gaze, allowing his heart to betray him, untangling the conflict, lifting wings to his true desires.

“How did you expect me to do the same for you?”

The cityscape of Paris gleams stunningly as the sun hovers low, painting strokes of muted orange hues across the sky. Along the Parisian rivers, everything here sounds quaint and far from the rustling everyday traffic. It's a sight to behold; to be so close to something beautiful and grand, yet far to witness it in its entirety.

Baekhyun is appreciative of such sights, enjoys the quiet and calmness the Seine river brings, the flutter of the birds rousing at the sight of a sunset. Though, his gaze keeps straying to the man next to him; the way the sunset is reflected in his doe eyes, the swell of his upper lip, the softened expression whilst overlooking the river.

“I didn't bring you here to stare at me, Byun,” Kyungsoo says, still staring straight ahead. Baekhyun flushes but he grins wickedly at Kyungsoo, leaning in close to gingerly brush his lips against Kyungsoo's earlobe. He watches the way the tip of Kyungsoo's ear redden in response and chuckles, self satisfied.

They settle on the banks of Seine river, watching the sun set and throwing pebbles to skip in the water. Baekhyun's pebbles never hold as much velocity as Kyungsoo's, it strikes up a mini competitive flare in him and they indulge in it for a while. Up until Baekhyun tries to distract Kyungsoo, sidling closer to him, thighs touching. He mouths along Kyungsoo's neck, causing the latter to slip his hold on a pebble and losing focus entirely.

Baekhyun smirks as Kyungsoo takes the bait, turning to capture his lips in a heated kiss. He nibbles on Baekhyun's upper lip, pulling out a whined moan from Baekhyun, and darts his tongue over the bitten marks. Fingers dancing along each other's skin; Baekhyun's hands are running up and down Kyungsoo's sides, humming into the kiss, while Kyungsoo's hand is cradling his jaw tenderly, another lost in the ruffled mess of his hair.

Kyungsoo sighs into Baekhyun's mouth, peppering kisses along the upward curl of his pleased smile, the high of flushed cheeks, directly on the freckle at his temple. Baekhyun grips Kyungsoo tighter, turning his face away to kiss lightly, firmly on Kyungsoo's neck, against his beating pulse.

“This is also not what I brought you here for,” Kyungsoo says, in opposite to the way he keeps sucking on Baekhyun's bottom lip.

Baekhyun's smirk widens, pressing a chaste, full-mouthed kiss on Kyungsoo's lips. He pulls away and laughs at the way Kyungsoo whines low in his throat, subconsciously chasing after him. He arches an eyebrow when Kyungsoo blinks up at him, looking dejectedly at Baekhyun's lips.

“You're detrimental to my health,” Kyungsoo purses his lips, pulling away and settling with intertwining Baekhyun's hand with his. The touch alone brings upon a ghost of a smile on his face. Baekhyun's heart thumps louder, he's so far gone.

“That's so untrue,” Baekhyun teases. “You adore me.”

They've been in Paris for a whole week now; Auror Robards granted them both two weeks of leave, crediting them for their hard work. Baekhyun had made a floo call to Chanyeol and Jongdae, ignoring their knowing looks when he said he'd be home much later, he'll deal with the devil in his own way when he's back home.

The week had been a breath of fresh air, staying by Kyungsoo's side, watching him, relearning his quirks, opening up about things they've missed back then. They faced their demons together, reopening wounds and staying through the storms. Kyungsoo kept his promise and showed his favourite places in Paris, bringing Baekhyun on a sight-seeing trip around the city, feeding him with French cuisine, uncovering the Wizarding area together. The time spent has really been blissful, not for the city itself, but for the company Baekhyun has been blessed with.

“And that's unfortunate,” Kyungsoo counters but he smiles endearingly, staring at Baekhyun like he's the sun setting down in his grasp. He pecks lightly at Baekhyun's nose where he knows there's another freckle from sun-kissed days.

And home, it's not a faraway idea, not so impossible, Baekhyun isn't afraid of it any more. Not when Kyungsoo is by his side.

“Is this cabin taken?”

Baekhyun looked up, previously immersed in observing the snow piling up on the train tracks, the younger ones rushing into the train after bidding their fellow peers goodbye. Surprise filled his being at the sight of Kyungsoo peeking into the cabin, snowdrops stuck to his grey beanie.

He merely shrugged which seemed to be answer enough for Kyungsoo as he entered the cabin, sliding the door shut behind him, and lifted his bag onto the compartment. He settled down directly across Baekhyun, nudging his knees briefly before drawing them in.

The train started moving.

Baekhyun spent the first hour daydreaming whilst looking out the window, thinking about the entirety of sixth year so far, feeling a little nostalgic at the realisation of it being his second last year in Hogwarts. Chanyeol and Jongdae both decided to stay back for this very reason, to spend Christmas at Hogwarts. They didn't mention it but the unsaid lingered over them; that this might be the last because of the approaching war.

Maybe he should stayed back to bask in the pretence of being a teenager, spending holidays with friends, having snowball fights, but he thought of his mother alone in the big, void house. His older brother was spending his Christmas on a business trip overboard, he couldn't make it home on time. Baekhyun took it upon himself to return home for the holidays. Even if he had to share the loneliness with his mother and pretend that everything was alright.

How the years have passed. He used to feel a little excited about going back home for holidays, to spend time with his small family, to run in the snowed fields all afternoon. Now, it was like growing up came with all these sacrifices; no more eased laughter, everything came with a price.

His eyes drifted to Kyungsoo across him, curious, and found him with his head immersed in a book. Baekhyun hid a smile,by turning away. Maybe some things never changed.

“Why didn't you stay back with your Gryffindor minions?” Kyungsoo asked with a tone of nonchalance. He flipped a page in his book before gracing Baekhyun with a mere glance to see if he heard. Baekhyun refused to rouse up to his words, letting them slide by.

Baekhyun shrugged, “I've to keep my mother company.”

“I see,” Kyungsoo nodded, returning to the book, acting like the question wasn't asked, and silence fell upon them once more.

But nostalgia was drowning him, Baekhyun's gaze flickered towards the empty cabin they were in. In first year, where he had first met Kyungsoo, it was filled with anticipation and elation. He inwardly cringed at the thought of his younger self; so bright, naïve and eager about everything. Baekhyun wished desperately for that silver of innocence now.

“Do you remember...our first train journey?”

Kyungsoo glanced at him, surprise lining his features. His fingers hovered over a page in his book. There was a wrinkle in the middle of his eyebrows as he stared at Baekhyun, probably trying to figure him out. Baekhyun just darted a small smile at him, ensuring no ulterior motives.

“...Yes,” Kyungsoo answered finally. His eyes flitted to Baekhyun's hands, to the smile on his face, then he looked away. Not at his book, to the window overlooking wintry Scottish lands. “You offered me candy and I wanted to be a Ravenclaw.”

“I missed that sometimes,” Baekhyun confessed, soft and honest in the quiet cabin, snow blanketing the scenery outside. It felt like the world existed there and then only, between them while everything was on standstill outside. How Baekhyun wished and ached for that. He turned away to the window too, chin propped up on the palm of his hand. “Train journeys used to be something of delight to me.”

“Well,” Kyungsoo said, a note of amusement in his voice. Baekhyun glanced upwards, mildly stunned by the sudden change in his tone, and met Kyungsoo's gaze across. Their gazes held as a faint smile curled up on Kyungsoo's lips, reminiscent of the eleven-year-old Kyungsoo Baekhyun had met that day. “You're still on a train journey, it's still exciting.”

A smile on Baekhyun's face, lightly mirroring Kyungsoo's. Time froze for a second, they were transported back to first year. The bright in their gazes, the companionship, the innocence.

“And you're going home.”


End file.
